Rise from the Past
by Ayyarin
Summary: Diva and Saya were not the only Chiropteran Queens. There are three others who are much older, forgotten and lost in time. Red Shield is unwittingly drawn into their ancient battle and as they fight, Red Shield begins to uncover the mysteries that shroud these long forgotten Queens and their reason to fight. All is not what it seems. What secrets lie in their memories?
1. OC form (closed)

**OC Chevalier form! NOW CLOSED!  
**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SENT IN THEIR OCs. I WILL GET STARTED ON THE STORY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.**

This story will have a lot of OCs. I need a Chevalier for Diva's daughters, one each. I'll also be including three other Queens – one of which I already have set. So the other two Queens need Chevaliers.

Kanade (Diva's daughter no. 1 – blue eyes) – 1 Chevalier **Now taken**

Hibiki (Diva's daughter no. 2 – red/brown eyes) – 1 Chevalier **Now taken**

The Chevaliers for the upper two will be quite recent as it is set in the modern day.

The other Queens are 500 years old so their Chevaliers will also be very old. Just so you know, one of the Queens is evil so her Chevaliers will also be evil.

Ianna (evil Queen – yellow eyes) – 2 Chevaliers **2****/2 now taken**

Ahel (green eyes) – 3 Chevaliers – but be warned, 1 is dead before this story begins, however I will be making references to the deceased Chevalier throughout the story so he/she isn't entirely dead, and there will be flash backs so he/she will sort of be just as alive as the others. Once all 3 are in I will PM the owners to ask if they don't mind their Chevalier being the deceased one. **3****/3 now taken - and thank you Nalael for offering your Chevalier to be the deceased one.  
**

**Here's an example of an OC Chevalier that I will be using:**

Name: Yin Di

Age: 27

Gender: male

Hair colour, length and style: long, straight white hair. Upper half tied back.

Skin colour: pale

Eye colour: grey

Height: 6 ft

Country of origin: China

Clothing: what he used to wear – the traditional oriental clothing of a middle class citizen (pale grey and white).

What he wears now for the modern day – smart black trousers and shoes, white shirt unbuttoned at the top, and a long beige trench coat.

Personality: serious, often cold with a streak of dark humour, but not quiet. He is calculating and calm, with a kind heart and an honest smile that he shows only to his Queen.

Weapon: chain with a sickle blade at one end.

How he became a Chevalier: he became a Chevalier during the late Ming Dynasty. He was to be married to a young woman that he dearly loved from a wealthy family. She loved another man though and betrayed him. Their wedding was hijacked by her family, a trap laid out for him in order to kill him. His Queen saved his life.

Demonic/monster appearance: a great winged serpent but with no flesh or muscle, just skeletal bone, surrounded in a smoking grey mist.

**So those are the requirements. Let yourself go wild!**

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Hair colour, length and style:

Skin colour:

Eye colour:

Height in ft:

Country of origin:

Clothing (for the old Chevaliers they can have 2 – 1 that they used to wear, sort of like their traditional clothing or whatnot or their battle clothes; and 1 set for the modern day):

Personality:

Weapon:

How they became Chevaliers:

Demonic/monster appearance:

**Thankies!**


	2. Chapter 1

**5 pages (All chapters have the same font and margin size) - font: Calibri (body) **

** - size: 11**

** - margin: Moderate**

**Ok! Here's Chapter 1. Thanks again to everyone who sent in their OCs. This chapter is a bit shorter than what I normally write but hopefully it should set the scene to some degree. Hope you enjoy!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Blood+ characters and the OCs used belong to their respectful owners. **

* * *

Chapter One

"Woah!" Joseph exclaimed, gaping around him as they dashed through the ancient passageways. The twenty-nine year old looking man had never stepped into such a place before. "Who would have thought such tombs like this existed."

"You sound surprised, Joseph," Yin Di replied back dryly. "Ahel's tomb is just as magnificent in Korea."

"Rain check, it's not the same as the tomb of a Chinese Empress," Joseph said, which is clearly what this tomb was – the tomb of an unknown Empress of China, buried deep beneath the ground. However, it was not an Empress that slept within it.

Howls of Ianna's deformed Chiropteran floated down to them on the still air that now stirred with their movement. A soft giggle echoed through the darkness, standing the hair on the back of Joseph's neck on edge. The two of them ran faster through the gloom and maze of ancient passages, avoiding traps, stepping over the skeletons of those that _were_ caught, and leaving trails of lilac light and second images of themselves from the speed of their passage.

"How did they manage to find this place?" Joseph growled, drawing one of his .44 magnums while keeping his other hand pressed down on his hat so it would not fly away with the speed of their passage. He recognised that giggle, and prayed with all his might that it was not who he thought it was.

"They were bound to find it eventually," Yin Di replied grimly. "We were lucky to have kept this place secret for so long." His hand tightened around the sword in his hand. It was a Chinese sword, apparently the one of an Emperor in the distant past. Now, it belonged to Yin Di's Queen.

Joseph glanced across at the Chevalier. They both served different Queens, but those two Queens were sisters and friends, therefore their Chevaliers were no enemies to each other. The relationship was very different with Ianna. Just thinking of her caused Joseph to clench his hands in rolling anger and grief. Memories flashed through his mind. Memories of the last night he had seen Ahel and Kylia, of the night Hwayeom was killed, and of the night Niera was forced to save his life before Ianna caught him, like she did with Ahel and Kylia.

It was a hundred years ago.

"Damn it!" Joseph hissed. "Ianna, that bitch!"

Yin Di glanced back at him, his cold grey eyes softening slightly as he shared the same pain that Joseph felt, except Yin Di could not imagine the pain in Joseph's heart. Yin Di had not lost his Queen.

"I need you to get Niera as far away as possible," Yin Di said. "There is a passageway beneath her sarcophagus which you must follow. There is a point where it will split into five ways. Take the far left and that will bring you to another split. Take the second to left path and it will lead you out into a forest just inside the Great Wall."

Joseph pulled a face. "What are you doing?"

"I will stay behind to distract our pursuers."

Joseph grabbed his shoulder. "By yourself? Are you insane?"

Yin Di shrugged him off smoothly. "You do not know the way out of here, Joseph. If you stay behind while I take Niera away then you will be buried in this tomb. Not even you can fight Ianna's Chevalier and the army of Chiropteran that are beginning to overrun this tomb by yourself."

"Neither can you," Joseph contradicted flatly.

"But I am not fighting them," Yin Di said dryly.

"Then what are you doing?" Joseph flung his hands up into the air.

"Distracting!" Yin Di's voice cracked out like a whip, making Joseph flinch despite himself. No Chevalier was stronger than the other. They were all equal. But it was their characteristics and age that made them different. Unfortunately in this case, Yin Di was at least two hundred years Joseph's senior.

They finally burst out into an incredible space that was like an ocean of crushing blackness. Yin Di's arm flashed out. The sound of chains rattled, metal scratched against metal, there was a spark of light before that spark illuminated the entire cavern as it set fire to waiting oil that ringed this incredible space.

It was a vast hall with a ceiling so high it was almost still engulfed in shadow. The walls along the edges were carved with gold and ancient poems and scripts, painted with scenes of history, peeling with age. In front of the two immortal men was a great drop that descended into darkness. Joseph whistled, impressed.

The only way to the other side was across the stone bridge that arched over the abyss beneath them. They dashed across and Joseph's eyes landed on the great sarcophagus at the far side. Its lid had been pushed off and Joseph's eyes widened, sucking in a startled breath.

A young-looking woman was sat up. Her incredibly long black hair – having grown long from her slumber – was her only clothing. Her glowing purple eyes landed on the two.

"Neira!" Yin Di disappeared entirely from Joseph's side, reappearing again beside his wakened Queen. She woke exactly on time.

"Yin Di," she whispered. Her voice was strained, her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. She would be parched, like every Queen when they woke from their slumber.

Joseph stood back. Despite how he looked on Niera as a friend, she was still a Queen, a Queen that could kill him.

Niera's purple eyes flickered to Joseph's brown eyes and she smiled weakly. "I am not . . . going to take . . . your blood . . . Joseph . . ." She began to stand. "What is going on? I hear –"

She was interrupted by a harsh howl and Joseph and Yin Di spun around to face the great double doors they had burst through. Their hearts pounded in their chests; their muscles tensed and all their senses sharpened in dread and anticipation. From within the darkness were a multitude of glowing red eyes and gurgled snarls.

"I would say that we should destroy the bridge," Joseph murmured. "But there is hardly any point as they will just jump over the gap instead."

Towering Chiropteran prowled from the darkness and into the light, letting the fire show all.

"Ianna found me," Niera croaked.

Something shot out from the dark, splitting the air with a hushed whistle and shattering the light of the fire against its metallic surface, flying directly towards Niera. Joseph reacted fast, raising his handgun and shooting. The bullet struck the object with a sharp ping, throwing it off course. The fearsome chopping knife spun away in the air, stabbing into the stone of the bridge.

Joseph felt his heart sink as his gaze landed on the blade. He knew which Chevalier had come.

"Niera is awake again!" a shrill young voice exclaimed in glee.

Joseph and Yin Di moved into their stances immediately, weapons out and ready. Their enemy remained in the shadows, but her eyes glowed red from within the gloom. She took a step forward, letting the glow of the crackling fire shine light on her daisy-strapped shoes and shin-length white socks.

"Hmm, at least Yin Di is up to date with fashion. Why are you still in that cowboy outfit, Joseph? It's the year 2041."

"Oh? It's Annabel," Joseph mused with a smirk, but his voice was tight. "You are a little girl so of course you won't see the illustrious lure of my clothing."

Annabel stamped her foot. "I am older than you, Joseph! I understand enough to say that your outfit is stuuupid!"

Joseph grinned widely. "My admirers would beg to differ. Did you enjoy your exploration through the tomb?"

"Yup!"

Annabel's short attention span was amusing to Joseph when he first encountered her. It worked to his advantage in many cases. But her short attention span was frightening for it revealed glimpses of her severely unstable mind.

A cracking sound drew their attention to Yin Di and Niera. Yin Di had tapped the tip of the sheathed sword against the bottom of Niera's sarcophagus. Joseph's eyebrows rose as Niera disappeared, taking her sword with her from Yin Di.

"Ah! That is hardly polite!" Annabel whined. "Why didn't Niera say hello? Just like Ahel. She is so annoying, never talking to me. I want to cut out her tongue. She isn't going to need it if she won't talk."

Fury flared in Joseph's chest. Consumed by hate and rage, he lunged forward. "Where have you hidden Ahel? Tell me, you Lolita bitch!"

"Not telling!"

Yin Di's chain grabbed his arm and yanked him back before he could get across the bridge. "Not now, Joseph! You have to get out of here with Niera."

"What would you know, Yin Di?" Joseph snarled. "You did not lose the most important person in your life to Ianna!"

Pain flashed through Yin Di's eyes. "You are right, I am lucky. But if you do not leave then you will end up in a similar position to Hwayeom. Do you want Ahel to weep with that same devastating grief upon hearing of your death?"

Ahel's horrified and furious scream echoed in his ears. He remembered the way the moonlight glinted off her cheeks which shone with tears of grief as she watched Hwayeom crystallise from Ianna's blood.

Joseph could not bear to put Ahel through that same grief. His hate for Ianna could not peak any higher and he stood, hissing like a monster. The Chiropteran stopped advancing forward, wary of the power and crushing killing intent that wafted from him. His glowing red eyes landed on Annabel's as she stood within the gloom. He wanted to kill her so badly.

However, he stepped back and turned his body sideways, his eyes landing on Yin Di's. The white-haired man returned his gaze solemnly. "We will keep to our promise, Joseph. We will find Ahel and save her and Kylia."

Joseph leapt into the sarcophagus and fell through it into pure darkness.

"Ianna won't be happy to know that I let Niera and Joseph get away," he heard Annabel chime with a sigh. "But even I know that I can't face two Chevalier's by myself. So play the flute for me, Yin Di! Play it so I can dance!"

Joseph clenched his jaw, feeling his pulse quicken as faint worry managed to seep in between his fury and hate. Yin Di's chain clanked.

"That privilege is reserved for only one person, Annabel," Yin Di's voice echoed. The sound of fighting commenced as Joseph landed on solid ground, his eyes quickly adapting to the darkness. Roars and screams vibrated through the stone and the walls and ground shook. Blood was spilled filling Joseph's nose with its scent. Bones were shattered, limbs were ripped, muscles squelched, chains rattled and blades clashed.

Niera struggled to her feet, her eyes glowing in the dark.

"Quickly, Joseph," she breathed. "Get me away from this smell before I act on impulse. I don't . . . want to hurt you!"

Joseph swallowed his wariness, flicked his long, dark brown, curly and wild hair over his shoulder, and scooped Niera up in one smooth motion. They fled down the black passageway, leaving Yin Di behind to face Annabel and her army of Chiropteran.

It felt like Joseph was leaving a part of himself behind, feeling like he was too little butter spread over too much bread. Tired and thin. Annabel was the one chance he had to find out where his Queen was, and now that chance was gone, slipped through his fingers. The sorrow in his heart was agonising, it always was but he hid it. This time however, it was stronger than ever.

Where was Ahel? Where was his Queen?

"The battle continues . . ." Niera whispered, touching her hand to his chest where his heart thumped. "This time . . . this time we will find her . . ."

* * *

Kanade sat at the bar, fanning her heated face and sucking in a deep breath from the shot that she had just downed. A pale hand slid another shot in front of her and Kanade groaned.

"Enough, Karasu Chi. I've already had four shots!" she complained over the booming noise of the music in the club. The clubs lights flashed and pulsed a multitude of colours and textures with the beat of the music, thumping against Kanade's eardrums. Parties were fun, a great way to blow off steam, cast all caution into the wind and to pretend that the world outside did not exist.

Karasu Chi waggled her eyebrows and grinned evilly. "Drink, Kanade. It's good for you." She held up her own shot glass. Kanade grumbled under her breath, raised her glass, clanking it against Karasu's and they both downed the shot in unison.

"Phew!" Karasu Chi exclaimed. "It burns!"

Kanade grabbed Karasu's black hair that was tipped red and woven into a single braid over her shoulder, causing her to both laugh and whimper at the same time as Kanade pulled her face closer. "Well what were you expecting from vodka? For it to be as smooth as silk?"

"I'm sorry, Kanade! But it was fun. Admit that it was fun. Our kind have a much better alcohol tolerance than normal people. So you should not be complaining, Kanade. Consider it a wonderful gift."

Kanade sighed, releasing Karasu's hair and letting it slip through her fingers. Her friend and Chevalier was right. Everything about them was superior to a human, including alcohol tolerance. It was both a gift and a curse, in terms of alcohol. It was a gift as they did not have the memory loss or the pounding hangover the next day. But it was a curse as they could not experience that lovely floating, happy feeling that came with being completely drunk.

The DJ finished his track and moved onto the next one which was a piece that Karasu adored, especially from the way her light blue eyes widened and brightened upon hearing it. She looked at Kanade pleadingly and Kanade nodded. With a girly squeal, Karasu leapt from her seat and glided onto the dance floor with many other youthful people. Her black jeans enhanced her figure from the waist downwards, drawing the eyes of young men and her back was exposed from the backless pink-red T-shirt she wore.

Kanade smiled as she watched Karasu dance and laugh. The nightclubs was one of the places where Karasu showed her inner girly side, which could also be brought out through shopping sometimes. Usually the young woman was calm.

It was better for Karasu to have this inner girl, this happy and jolly side. It pained Kanade to recall her friend when she had first found her.

Kanade closed her eyes briefly, unable to stop the memories from rushing into her mind's eye. Karasu could not remember anything of her life before she became a Chevalier, hence Kanade gave her a new name: Karasu Chi, meaning raven blood. The woman was American by blood, even if her new name was Japanese. She was not interested in recalling her past to Kanade's curiosity.

Kanade pushed the memories away quickly. She remembered with perfect clarity what happened to Karasu to force Kanade to change her. Her eyes opened and she exhaled softly. It had been a good fives now since Karasu became her Chevalier. Kanade and her twin, Hibiki, should have dropped into their hibernation a while ago, but it had not come which had Red Shield puzzled. The best explanation they could think of was that the twins were living their lives as humans, not using their Chiropteran powers.

It was thirty years ago when Saya retreated back into her hibernation. Thirty years since that night in the opera theatre where Saya killed Diva. _Aunt Saya _was what she and Hibiki called her. They did not hate their aunt for killing their mother. They loved both of them and despaired for the sorrow the two sisters were forced to endure.

Kai raised Diva's children well, like humans . . . but no matter how hard he tried, he could not raise them to be true humans – because they were not human. They even had Chevaliers.

However, their lives were happy and that was all that mattered.

"Nankurunaisa," Kanade murmured under her breath, feeling her heart warm as she said Kai's favourite word. That one word helped them all get through the hardships of thirty years ago. It kept them going, never giving up because in the end, everything would be alright.

Everything was peaceful. Saya had fought hard to achieve this peace and suffered for it. But now, she would wake to this new peace and she could live happily with everyone. The thought made Kanade tense with a bubbly kind of joy. She had heard so many stories of her aunt and mother. She wanted to talk to her aunt, to meet her, to know of the past from Saya's own voice.

This was now a time of peace.

Kanade smiled and nodded to the beat of the music. However, the skin on the back of her neck tingled and she paused, turning to look behind her. A tall, blond haired man weaved his way between dancers who looked on him in awe. Blond hair of course was a rarity in Japan, especially natural blond hair. Of course, this man was not Asian by any means. He was western.

His pale green eyes landed on Kanade and he grinned widely, waving. He was so different to his serious father and composed mother.

"Hey Kanade!" David and Julia's son chimed upon reaching her.

"Yo Callum. Shouldn't you be at HQ?" Kanade mused, raising an eyebrow.

"I just was. There's been a development. Joel sent me to bring you and Karasu back. Hibiki and Victoria are already at HQ," he said, downing a shot before he could resist.

Kanade frowned. "Joel? Has something happened?"

Callum nodded. His smiled faded and Kanade sensed a grim aura waft from him. Her heart thumped a little faster in her chest as a strange wariness trickled into her veins.

The current song finished and Karasu returned to Kanade upon seeing Callum.

"Well, well. I thought you were at HQ, Callum?" Karasu said, breathing hard from the dancing and she waved her arm to order more shots. Callum caught her wrist and lowered it before the order could go through. He shook his head.

"We need to go, now," he said, beginning to move away and Kanade followed. If it was an order from Red Shield, she could not ignore it.

"Why? We were having such a good time," Karasu sighed. "Stay and enjoy the club with us." Kanade pulled her along behind.

Callum chuckled. "I would love to but work comes first when it comes to Red Shield."

Kanade caught his hand and stopped him, forcing to him to look at her and she held his gaze. "What happened?"

He breathed out slowly and ran his hand through his hair. "Saya is awake."

* * *

**The other OCs will make their appearances later on and gradually I will build on them all to meet what you all wrote in the forms, especially as it's virtually impossible to include all of those details in the first chapter. For those that I have included in more detail in this chapter, do tell me if I got your OCs across ok, or if I need to work on their personalities a bit more. Thanks!  
**

**OCs and their creators:**

**Karasu Chi - Forgotten64**

**Joseph - SaudraeOfSunday**

**Yin Di - Me (Ayyarin)**

**Hwayeom - Nalael**

**Annabel - I-Write-and-Read-stuff**

**Victoria - Captain Kuroyuki  
**

**Kylia - FreedomFighter94  
**


	3. Chapter 2

**10 pages  
**

Chapter Two

Kanade clambered into the passenger seat of the car beside Callum who sat at the wheel. Karasu climbed in the back. Callum inserted the keys of the BMW and Kanade glowered at him in wariness.

"What?" Callum asked.

"You took a shot back at the club. You shouldn't be driving," Kanade said flatly.

He grinned and held a finger to his lips while turning the ignition on with the other. "It's only one shot. No one will know."

Karasu chuckled. "I would be astonished if one shot could affect your driving, Callum. I bet I could drive better than you and I've had . . . how many shots have I had now, Kanade?"

Callum snorted and pulled the car away from the curb onto the road. "There's no way in hell I would let you drive. You can't even remember how many shots you've had!"

"Yes I can!" Karasu argued. "I've had six."

"Eight," Kanade corrected her dryly.

"Tsk! I knew that," Karasu growled.

"Good God," Callum exclaimed. "I wish I can drink that many without getting drunk or having the hangover the next morning."

Karasu leaned forward and her hands slid over Callum's shoulders. Kanade raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe you should become a Chevalier too," she purred.

"No thanks. I like being a human." Most would have shivered and stiffened in nervousness and growing fear at Karasu's touch. But Callum was one of the few rare people who was unaffected.

Karasu sighed softly and leaned back. Kanade turned her head slightly to look at her frozen-at-twenty-four-years friend. "You look disappointed, Karasu."

Karasu smiled and shrugged. "Not really. I just thought it might be interesting to see how Callum would turn out as a Chevalier."

Callum shivered. "No offense, but the idea sounds terrifying to be honest."

Karasu waved her hand dismissively. "None taken."

The street lamps rushed past them as they drove in the night. Okinawa beach passed them and Kanade's gaze stretched out over the endless expanse of dark water which reflected the light of the moon, shattering against the water's surface into beautiful white glitter. The beach was Kanade's favourite place. It was also Saya's favourite place.

"If Saya-obasan just woke then why are we going to HQ? Wouldn't she be at Omoro with Kai?" Kanade asked quietly, struggling to keep the anticipation from her voice. Saya was awake!

Callum exhaled slowly. "Saya actually woke a couple of days ago."

Both Kanade and Karasu sucked in a strangled breath. "A few days ago?" Kanade exclaimed. "Why did no one tell me?"

"We did not tell anyone," Callum said. "She did not wake up peacefully. But have no fear, it was not like when she woke in Vietnam. What I mean is that a dream woke her. Apparently it was such a shock to her that she wanted to be taken to HQ as soon as possible to ask Joel to check all the documents we had on the Chiropteran."

Kanade frowned. "Why?"

"She had a dream, a dream about three women; one with green eyes, one with yellow, and another with purple. The dream was sent by the green-eyed woman who was held captive in the dream by the yellow-eyed woman. This green-eyed woman told Saya that the woman with yellow eyes will make her move soon, and to help the purple-eyed woman."

"Okay," Karasu said slowly, sounding uninterested. "So what? Everyone has dreams, well, we Chevaliers don't seeing as we don't sleep."

Kanade watched Callum's grip on the steering wheel tighten. "The three women in Saya's dream were Chiropteran Queens. And they are much, much older than Saya and Diva."

Kanade stiffened in her seat and Karasu gasped.

"That's impossible," Kanade said through clenched teeth. "The only Chiropteran Queens alive are Saya-obasan, Hibiki and I."

"That's what we thought," Callum agreed. "Joel and the team are still going through records but so far they have found nothing concerning these three pure-blooded Chiropterans. It's probably just a fluke, but we cannot be sure. Either way, the dream doesn't matter. What matters is that Saya is awake."

They pulled into Red Shield's airport and climbed into the helicopter that was waiting for them.

"How long will it take to reach HQ?" Karasu shouted over the deafening sound of the helicopter blades as they spun above.

"Barely half an hour!" Callum yelled back over the rising shriek of the engine while they put on their head and earpieces. The door was slid shut and Callum ordered the pilot to take off. They flew out over the bay and out to sea.

"It's been thirty years since Saya fell into hibernation so we knew she would wake soon. Therefore HQ is circling in the East China Sea. Not far at all," Callum said.

Karasu cringed. "And the Chinese are fine with the vessel in their waters?"

Callum flashed a smile. "No, they are not. But Red Shield is a neutral organisation. We do not work for any nation on this planet, therefore the Chinese government will not interfere. Very wise. And seeing as we exposed the role the Americans had in the event concerning Cinq Fleches the Chinese can almost turn a blind eye to us, because as far as they are concerned, we have done them a favour. However, if we were off the eastern coast of the USA then that would be a different matter entirely, especially with what happened thirty years ago."

Kanade watched Karasu fan her face. "World politics is a delicate and sensitive matter."

"Indeed it is."

Despite it being so late in the night and a ridiculous time such as half two in the morning, Kanade did not feel tired. She knew she would feel exhausted once this was all dealt with, but until then, she would be wide awake. Time seemed to drag and Kanade's heart beat with impatience and growing nervousness.

Finally, they saw the ship in the middle of the sea. There were very little visible signs of its presence, except for a few lights. Mainly it was the radar that pinpointed its location. The ship had been replaced since the previous one sunk off the coast of Marseille, south France.

The pilot landed the helicopter on the flight deck of the cruiser. Callum, Kanade and Karasu exited the craft while the pilot and co-pilot turned the engine off. Walking towards them to greet them was a familiar figure.

Kanade's eyes widened and a smile stretched across her features. "Kai!" She dashed over to him and flung her arms over the man who was her adoptive father.

Kai chuckled. "You still won't call me otou-san? Hibiki does."

Kanade just carried on smiling, feeling Kai pat her back. "Hibiki still has the mental maturity of a child. I am grown up now." She pulled back and Kai smiled down at her. It had been a couple of years since she had last seen him. He was now in his late forties and the age was beginning to show on his face.

"You are still a little girl to me," Kai chided lightly.

"Kai," Callum greeted him and the two men grasped hands. "How's Saya doing?"

"Very well. She seems stable and how I remember her. She made fun of my wrinkles."

"Apply moisturiser to your skin daily," Karasu stated, as if it were an obvious fact.

"Sorry, but I am not a girl," Kai responded cheerfully but with an underlying tone of dryness.

Callum laughed and led them all into the cruiser. This was the first time Kanade and Karasu boarded HQ and so they were forced to enter quarantine. They were not alone.

"Kanadeeee nee-chan!" Hibiki squealed, throwing her arms around Kanade's neck in a tight embrace.

"Hibiki!" Kanade exclaimed in happiness, hugging her twin sister back and Hibiki's grip tightened.

"I haven't seen you in _ages_! I missed you so much!"

"I can't breathe, Hibiki," Kanade croaked. Hibiki let go abruptly and stepped back, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, nee-chan," she apologised. "I was just so happy to see you again."

Kanade grinned. "Same here." She looked past Hibiki at the girl who was frozen at sixteen, sat at the table with a deck of cards. It seems like she and Hibiki had been playing one of many card games. Victoria brushed her long blond ringlets over her shoulder and waved brightly at them. Despite the cool air of the sea that filled the cruiser, Victoria seemed unaffected by the temperature for she wore a black sleeveless sun-dress with a blue belt around her waist. She switched the leg she had currently crossed with the other, drawing attention to her striped stockings.

"Kanade, Karasu Chi," she said cheerfully, her accent well cultured due to her pure-blooded English heritage. "You interrupted our game. I was winning until you both came in."

Her green eyes were deep and Karasu met them head on, sitting sleekly in Hibiki's seat. "Let me be your opponent, Victoria. You won't be winning for long." Karasu flashed a warm smile but her words were as cold as ice, sending a shiver down Kanade's spine. Karasu's smile could never be trusted.

Victoria smirked. "We will see. I have been playing these games for much longer than you, Karasu."

"For only a few decades longer than me."

Victoria just smiled and reshuffled the cards. "I hope you do not mind me excluding you from our little game, Hibiki," she said, dishing out the cards without waiting for a reply.

"It's fine. I want to spend time with nee-chan," Hibiki replied anyway.

Victoria was a difficult person to read and even though she was Hibiki's Chevalier, she was not exactly loyal, often doing as she wished. She became Hibiki's Chevalier twenty five years ago, when Hibiki was five. No one had been around during the transformation and the twins were so young they could not remember it. They had just Victoria's word on it.

Hibiki pulled on Kanade's arm eagerly, leading her to a bench where the two sat, leaving their Chevalier's to battle it out with cards.

"Can you believe it?" Hibiki asked excitedly. "Saya-obasan is finally awake! I can't wait to meet her. Do you think we will look alike? She and I both have reddish brown eyes."

Kanade's expression fell slightly and she raised her pale hand to her eyes – which were deep blue, like Diva's, their enemy from the past. How would Saya react upon seeing Kanade? Diva was someone that Saya both hated and loved. Someone that caused so much despair and rage, so much death and destruction.

However, in the end, Kanade was told that Diva only wanted one thing: a family. Being locked in that tower and experimented on by Joel I and Ashmel had corrupted Diva. She envied Saya. She wanted children of her own so she could live happily as Saya did.

_Diva . . . no . . . mother . . . . you don't have to fear anymore. Hibiki and I are happy. We have a family. Watch over us so nothing can ruin this happiness. Experience it through us. We are your flesh and blood._

"Ah," Hibiki gasped softly, realising what Kanade was thinking. "I'm sorry, nee-chan. I didn't think –"

Kanade touched her twin's hand and smiled softly. "It's alright, Hibiki. I'm looking forward to meeting Saya-obasan. Do you think Haji is here too?"

Hibiki nodded enthusiastically. "I saw him earlier and if you really focus, you can feel his presence too."

They talked for a bit, watching Victoria win three games out of five against Karasu and Karasu leaned back in her chair. "I'm not in the mood for this anymore."

Victoria smiled sweetly. "I win." She turned her gaze on the twins. "Would you like to join the game? Four would be much more entertaining and we are going to be in quarantine for at least twenty four hours."

"Are you saying I'm boring?" Karasu asked lightly with a threatening underlying tone.

"Are you?" Victoria answered with another question, never being straight forward, always devious.

Kanade chuckled, standing up and placing a restraining hand on Karasu's shoulder as the two twins sat down at the table.

"What should we play?" Hibiki pondered aloud.

"Do we all have cash on our persons?" Karasu asked. Everyone nodded and Karasu smirked. "Alright. Poker it is."

Kanade rolled her eyes and they played. She lost all of her money and to their surprise, Hibiki won everyone's money. It was not her poker face that tricked them all, seeing as she had none, but her behaviour made them think one thing when it was in fact the opposite. Her innocence was deadly.

Time took a painfully long time to pass and Hibiki spent most of it sleeping. Karasu and Victoria exchanged hidden threats (as usual) behind charming smiles and Kanade spent most of her time bored or in deep thought.

Finally, the heavy metal door opened and Callum poked his head around the edge. "Okay! That's done. You've passed so you can come –"

"Callum-kun!" Hibiki squealed, flinging her arms around Callum like she did with Kanade. "You meanie! You didn't come to say hi when you dropped Kanade and Karasu off here."

Callum laughed, which then turned into a cough. "Let go of me, Hibiki-chan. You're strangling me," he wheezed.

"You're so weak, Callum-kun!" Hibiki complained, pulling back and crossing her arms.

Callum shrugged. "Not my fault I'm human."

A hand thwacked him over the head from behind. "What have I said about not talking of those things in front of my nieces?" Kai criticised.

"It's fine, Kai," Kanade said, turning Callum around so that he would lead them to where Saya was. The twins and their Chevaliers followed behind the two men.

As Kanade walked, she felt her heart rate increase and she took a steadying breath in. Soon. Soon she would see Saya. Kanade closed her eyes briefly and extended her senses. She could feel Haji's presence within the vessel, and there was another presence next to him, one that sent shivers down Kanade's spine and chilled her blood. Her Chiropteran instincts made her want to cower in respect and fight at the same time against her fellow kin – her superior Queen.

Hibiki had fallen quiet and so had the Chevaliers. They felt the same thing.

They turned through the corners that connected the maze of passages within this great floating vessel and their steps echoed within the halls that they strode through. Finally, they entered a medium sized room with a table for six. Not all of the seats were taken.

Lewis and Julia were seated, with Joel at the far end in the master's seat. Saya was in one of the seats and Haji stood behind her. David leaned against the wall with Tony, the young protégé of eighteen, and Kai went to take a fifth seat while Callum leaned against the opposite wall.

It was a full room.

Saya looked up upon their entry and her eyes met Kanade's. A flash of recognition shot through her gaze and it felt like a jolt of electricity shocked through Kanade's body and mind. Saya looked just like she did in the pictures, and the similarities between her and Hibiki were so obvious.

"These are your nieces, Saya," Kai said gently. "Hibiki is the brown-eyed one and Kanade is the other."

Kanade held her breath and she sensed Hibiki tense beside her. Haji looked passive as always, but he placed a comforting hand on Saya's shoulder. It was a small gesture, but one that had so much meaning behind it. They had suffered through so much together.

Saya's unwavering gaze flickered steadily between the two twins and a smile curved her lips. "Ah," she breathed. "You both look like Diva and Riku. I am so happy to see you grown and well. Kai has done a good job as a father, I hope."

Kanade blinked, feeling fuzzy at the warmth within Saya's voice and gaze. To Kanade's dismay, she felt a tear slip from her eyes and down her cheek.

"Oh no!" Saya exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! I made you cry!"

Kanade shook her head, smiling and blinking to try and hold back more tears. "Don't be, Saya-obasan. I was just afraid that you would hate me. I know I look almost identical to Diva, especially with my blue eyes. And I know what she did thirty years ago and of the horrors she caused. My appearance will remind you of the fighting and death you experienced in the past, a grim reminder, when all we want is for you to live happily and peacefully with all of us – together as a family."

Saya stood and hugged her, causing more tears to fall from Kanade's eyes. "Aiya," she sighed. "That is no reason for me to hate you, my silly niece. Wow, it feels strange saying that. The point is, Diva is gone now and even though she was the cause of so much chaos, I never really hated her. Ashmel raised her to be like that, trapped her and corrupted her. She was my sister, and all she ever wanted was a family." Saya pulled Hibiki into her embrace. "She will be so happy to see you both as I do. Full of warmth and kindness."

The reunion spread amongst all of them and there were smiles and tears. Even David cracked a smile. The fears that were in Kanade and Hibiki's hearts were smoothed away by the warmth. They were so happy that Saya accepted them with open arms. She was just as happy as Kai had described. Perhaps . . . Saya could substitute as their mother figure?

That was too much to hope for, Kanade knew. She was just content and happy enough knowing that Saya was their aunt by blood.

"Reunions are always so touching," Lewis chuckled, until he sighed. "But I'm afraid we're going to have to cut it short."

"Lewis is right," Joel agreed grimly. Kanade took the sixth seat which was beside Saya and Karasu hovered close by.

"Just to recap, Saya requested that we search through our documents and files to find any reference to other, older Chiropteran Queens," Joel reminded them.

"After all, it is possible as Saya and Diva's mother was one from a time before the eighteen hundreds," David said. "Saya. Can you tell us the dream again?"

Saya exhaled softly and nodded. "I dreamt of three women, sisters and they were also Chiropteran Queens that were much older than Diva and I. The dream was sent by one with green eyes, warning me that her sister of yellow eyes was near to her goal. For five hundred years they have stayed hidden within the shadows but now it seems they will drag others into this. It will be a repeat of what happened thirty years ago. The third woman of purple eyes is fighting alone. I have a feeling we may meet soon. I don't know if that is for good or for worse."

Everyone glanced at each other. "A repeat of the tragedy thirty years ago is something we must prevent at all costs," David grunted.

"Without a doubt," Lewis agreed. "I don't like the thought of coming across three new Chiropteran Queens that we know nothing about."

"And nothing about them is known," Joel said calmly. "Unfortunately, there are no records that we have which describe what you speak of, Saya. If these women truly exist, then it is our duty as Red Shield to intervene."

"Only if these three Queens drag innocent humans into their conflict," Julia said.

"They already have," Victoria said flatly. "What else explains why there are still Chiropteran on the lose? No matter how many we put down, there still seems to be more rising from where we tried to bury them."

"But you would think that such people would have gotten involved in our fight thirty years ago if they were around," Kai pondered.

"Maybe they were hibernating at the time," Hibiki suggested.

Saya shook her head. "I am over two hundred years old now. They have had two centuries to make their appearance but they have not done so."

"Perhaps it was just a dream that you had, nothing more," Karasu said, shrugging.

"That feels more likely," Callum approved.

While they discussed and questioned, Kanade sat in thought, feeling her skin cool in dulled fear. The thought of three ancient Queens somewhere out in the world was terrifying. True, Saya, Hibiki and Kanade were also Queens and they could all fight, though Saya was by far their superior. However, Kanade had the feeling that if such Queens existed, then they were a force to be reckoned with. Impending dread hovered over Kanade's head.

Her gaze moved from one person to the next, and then it finally landed on Tony who leaned against the wall, watching and listening in silence. He was a lean young man of five foot nine. With a serious demeanour. He watched the discussion with blue eyes that gazed from behind his dark blond hair.

Saya mentioned the yellow-eyed woman again and Kanade noticed Tony stiffen. Kanade frowned and Tony's eyes met hers. They were grim, grim with realisation.

"Can we just dismiss it as a dream then?" Kai asked. "There has never been any trouble relating to Chiropterans before Diva and Saya so it should be the same now. Besides, if you think about it, the whole situation is impossible."

"But it isn't," Tony finally spoke. Everyone turned their gaze to him, seemingly forgotten that he was there until now. "I thought she was just a cold-blooded serial killer. But I knew in my heart that there was something more to her."

Kanade narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" She asked slowly.

Tony closed his eyes for a brief moment and Kanade felt dread sink to her stomach like a rock. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. "I will tell you of the night I met a woman with long, jet black hair and glowing yellow eyes," he murmured darkly.

* * *

_The six year old little boy walked out of the building that was his school and looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set already and the night of winter was already beginning to crawl across the eastern sky. His coat was on and his thick gloves covered his small hands which clutched onto the drawing he drew during class._

"_Tony!"_

_He looked towards the source of the call and his eyes landed on his older sister, five years his senior. Happiness and warmth bubbled in his small chest upon seeing his sister wave and grin brightly. He dashed across the playground to her._

"_Look, Sammy! Look at what I drew!" He exclaimed eagerly as he reached her, showing her his drawing._

_His sister leaned down to his level, looking at his drawing with big eyes. Her smile grew wider. "That is such a good drawing!" Sammy praised. "Look! There's Mom and Dad, and you and me in front of our house. We are one big happy family."_

_Tony beamed and he nodded vigorously. "Let's go home. I want to show Mommy and Daddy."_

"_Let's go now. Mom and Dad will be home tonight."_

_Excitement blossomed in Tony's chest and he took his sister's hand, walking towards the bus stop. Their parents were not home often, but when they were, the family could not be happier._

_Brother and sister got on their bus and began the long ride back home. The bus took them further out of Washington D.C. so they were on the very outskirts. It was a good hour before they finally reached their estate. The light of the sun was waning and the lamps turned on to illuminate the streets. _

_The two walked together, chatting and babbling about their day in school, of the games they played with their friends during lunch break. They turned corners and Tony fell quiet, feeling uneasy. He took his attention off Sammy and actually took a look around him._

_Normally, the birds would still be singing, but it was quiet. The lamps on the streets in this part of the estate had not turned on, save one which was flickering._

"_Sammy? Why is it so quiet?" Tony whispered fearfully, holding onto her sleeve._

_Sammy had fallen silent and her pace had slowed to a halt. Tony glanced up at her. Her eyes were wide and she was trembling, her face had paled._

_Strange sounds came to them. It sounded like gurgled growls and something howled in the distance, clutching Tony's rapidly beating heart with a frozen hand. It was a dark and there was an orange glow in the sky from something burning. He could hear the crackle of flames. One of the houses on the estate was burning._

_Sammy brought in a strangled gasp, making Tony jump and she suddenly bolted, pulling him behind her. _

"_Sammy! What –!" He was cut off when he saw a multitude of glowing red eyes down the street in the growing gloom of darkness. His eyes widened and fear slapped him around the face._

_What was down the street?_

_Sammy pulled him behind a fence and pressed her back against it, sliding down to the floor and brought Tony to her chest with trembling arms. Her heart pounded in terror, just as Tony's did. His panicked gasps were smothered by her clothes and the force with which she pressed him to her._

_From beyond the fence, Tony could hear the pad of clawed feet and the garbled gobble that came from whatever _things _owned those glowing red eyes. It all felt wrong, so wrong. It was too quiet. Tony shook with terror._

_The sounds came closer and Tony whimpered. Sammy clutched him tighter, struggling to control her uneven breathing which wavered with trepidation. They were going to die. Tony could feel it. They were going to be killed!_

_The twisted sounds of gurgled growls stopped and the sibling stayed as still as possible as if they had been encased in ice, holding their breaths. Tony did not blink, clutching his sister, digging his nails into her coat._

_Were the strange things gone?_

_There was a warm and foul gust of air from above and Tony and Sammy slowly turned their heads to look up. A monster of dark skin towered over the fence. Its head was deformed and animalistic with a long snout and razor sharp teeth dripping with blood. Its beady, glowing red eyes stared down at them. It snarled._

_Tony could not even think. His mind was so saturated with fear and confusion. The deformed beast moved suddenly, its bulky, muscular arm, coming up and over the fence._

"_No!" Sammy shrieked, pushing Tony away from her. Tony watched with mortified horror as the clawed hand grabbed his sister's head and pulled her up and over the fence. Sammy's blood curdling screams split the still air, combined with the sound of snapping bones, ripping flesh and demonic snarls. Her terrible screams pinned him to where he was and Tony stared at the fence, tears running down his cheeks and his breath coming in rags. He could not raise his hands to his ears to block out the horrible sound that scarred his heart._

_Huge, sticky droplets of blood jumped over the fence and splashed across his face. The screams quietened to silence after what felt like an eternity, yet it was so short. What happened to Sammy? Where was his sister?_

"_Sammy?" He whispered. "Sammy?" _

_Tony stood on shaking legs and went around the fence. None of this felt real. It had to be a bad dream._

_He moved onto the pavement and looked down. A mangled mess of blood and torn limbs lay on the concrete beneath the towering monster. That mess could not be Sammy. It could not be._

_The beast turned its head towards Tony and he took a step back. His eyes widened upon catching sight of a fragment of Sammy's yellow coat in its bloodied maw. Tony gasped, hyperventilating. His sister had been eaten alive._

_Sickened with terror, Tony turned and bolted like he never had before, the tears streaming down his face as he panted, crying at the same time. He ran in the direction of his home, which was also the direction of the fire. This was a nightmare, a nightmare. Any moment he would wake up to find Sammy shaking him awake with her goofy smile plastered over her face, exclaiming, 'It's time for school, Tony!'_

_The sound of gun shots clapped through the air, making Tony stumble and he cried in panic and desperation, feeling the monsters lumber after him from behind. He had to stay away, stay ahead. He did not want to die._

_He grew closer to his house and the fire, and when he finally skidded onto his street, he came to an abrupt stop. It was his house that was in flames. _

_This could not be happening. Tony pulled out his drawing. It was just a dream._

_More gun shots and shouts came from the house and Tony recognised the voices._

"_Mommy? Daddy?!" He cried, running forwards on his small legs to his burning house. The heat beat him back and timber collapsed. He saw through the fire, saw a figure that looked like a demonic angel, holding a flaming sword in her hand. She smiled twistedly from within the fire._

_Tony's mother and father dashed out of the fire, coughing and panting. Their clothes were burnt and torn, guns in hand. Their eyes landed on Tony._

"_Run, Tony!" His father roared. "Get as far –"_

_He was cut short as a woman with jet black hair suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She grabbed his head with both hands and twisted. His neck snapped. She released him as he fell heavily to the ground._

"_Dan!" Tony's mother screamed in grief. She stood protectively in front of Tony and raised her gun, shooting at the second woman. The bullets hit, but aside from making the woman take a step back upon impact, it did nothing. Tony watched in disbelief as the bullets were pushed out from the woman's body and her skin healed over._

_Her eyes glowed yellow. She did not smile._

_Tony's mother pulled on the trigger but only the sound of clicking came from it. She was out of bullets. With a harsh breath, she threw her gun to the side and turned to grab Tony to flee. She only got as far as turning around when a pale hand punched through her chest from behind. That pale hand, now dark red with blood, held his mother's heart. His mother only brought in a strangled breath, before that pale hand painted red with blood, squeezed and the heart exploded in bloody glory, splattering Tony with bits of his mother's heart and blood._

_Tony fell back, staring up at the scene which scarred his mind and heart, traumatised his still very young brain. The pale hand pulled back and his mother's body fell at his feet. The glitter of a tear glowed on his mother's cheek, her unseeing eyes forever open with horror and hate._

_The beautiful yellow-eyed woman stepped towards Tony and she seemed to loom over him, despite the fact she was no more than five foot six. She leaned down and placed a slender finger beneath his chin, tilting it up to her face. Her touch was a cold as ice._

"_You Americans are always interfering. If you join the Secret Service as your parents did, then your fate shall be no different to theirs," she murmured tonelessly, her voice as cold as the arctic winds._

_She killed his parents. They both lay dead in front of him. His sister was nothing more than a mangled gory mess on the floor. _

_The drawing that he drew earlier that day in school was caught by the fire and it destroyed his creation, just as this woman destroyed his entire family in front of his very eyes. _

_This had to be a nightmare._

_But it was not._

* * *

Once outside of the tomb, Niera took in a deep breath. The air was filled with the scent of nature and sleeping wildlife. The moonlight silhouetted the outline of the Great Wall that loomed behind them.

"Put me down, Joseph," she whispered. "This is far enough."

Joseph slowed and lowered Niera down. "Should we wait for Yin Di?" His voice was tight, holding a mixture of feelings. There was wariness in case Niera attacked him, and it did not surprise Niera that Joseph felt as such. The awakening of a Queen was the most unstable time in a Queen's conscious awareness. There was also faint concern in Joseph's voice, concern for Yin Di who stayed behind. Niera's heart beat with the same worry. She closed her eyes briefly, struggling to contain her worry and fear, struggling to supress her desire for his blood and her desire just to see him and embrace him.

Lastly in Joseph's voice was anger. Anger that he still did not know where Ahel and Kylia were kept bound. Niera shared his frustration. She loved Ahel as her dearest youngest sister. Seeing her taken by Ianna had been the most horrifying thing Niera had seen in her long life. However, she could still not compare the strength of her feelings to Joseph. Joseph was Ahel's Chevalier. He lived for Ahel and no one else. Always he would be drawn to her side, but he could not be by her side as they did not know where she was. His duty to serve Ahel was interrupted, warped, forced to serve Niera in the meantime until they found and freed Ahel.

"Yin Di will be with us soon," Niera said, her voice soft but strained. "Stay here. I must sate this thirst. The animals that sleep in this forest will provide enough to keep me controlled."

He held up his hands and smiled thinly. "Sure. There's no way I'm going to be near you when you hunt."

Niera flashed a small smile back, before she disappeared into the night. Her glowing eyes adjusted to the dark, seeing the world as many different shades of grey. Her senses took over and she let them lead her to her sleeping prey, draining their blood. The blood of the herbivores was foul. The carnivores were better, but still not as good as the blood of humans. And even human blood was not as good as Yin Di's. A Queen could only truly feed off the blood of her Chevalier. However, taking Yin Di's blood would have to wait. Once they were in a safe place, then she could think of her thirst. Until then, Joseph and Yin Di came first. She had to protect them from Ianna.

Thinking of Ianna made Niera hiss angrily under her breath, clenching her hands into fists. The middle sister had finally found her older sister's location. This was the last chance they had to find Ahel. Ianna would not kill Ahel and Kylia until she had what she wanted from Joseph.

The ground rumbled and vibrated in the deep. Niera stood up, having drained the blood from her last victim and listened. Yin Di must have collapsed the passageway leading out of the tomb.

Niera's uncontrollable thirst was sated to some extent and she sighed in mild relief. Now she did not have to spend so much energy and effort struggling to keep her thirst under control. She made her way back to Joseph and felt Yin Di's presence nearby. Feeling her chest tighten, Niera hurried back.

She reached Joseph at the same time that Yin Di did. He emerged from the darkness, covered in blood and one arm was wrapped around his abdomen in pain, yet the pain did not show on his expression.

"Yin Di!" Niera gasped, supporting his other arm as he leaned against a tree. "What happened?"

"I'm alright, Niera," he said quietly with a tired smile. "I just need a few minutes to heal."

"I hope you did as much damage to Annabel as she did to you," Joseph said.

"She transformed, so I think that's enough to say I angered her well enough," Yin Di murmured. Niera stiffened. Annabel rarely transformed, if at all. Niera's head thumped against his shoulder and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I get so worried," she murmured.

Yin Di chuckled, stroking her hair. "You needn't be. But I know it is useless of me to say that to you. You care too much." He took his coat off and wrapped it around Niera, hiding her naked body. The coat enveloped her in Yin Di's scent. She cared so much about him. But already his wounds were healing. They all healed fast, but it did not stop Niera from worrying any less. Wounds meant pain, and just the thought of Yin Di in pain was enough to squeeze her heart.

"I collapsed the passage out so Annabel cannot follow us," he stated. "She will have to retrace her steps. Even if she did find another path out, the closest is ten miles away from us."

"I wondered what that rumbling was," Joseph pondered aloud. "So what do we do now?"

They looked to Niera. "We go to our base and start on a plan of attack to get Ahel and Kylia back. We must not fail this time."

"Which base?" Joseph asked, raising his hands with a shrug. "We have quite a few."

"Base B," Niera replied, turning south. "Base A is too close to the Wall and therefore to Annabel. At least in Base B we can hide in plain sight."

Yin Di pushed away from the tree and looked up and south. The moonlight made his hair glow like starlight. "Hong Kong it is."

* * *

**A/N: OCs and their owners:**

**Tony - User 627  
**

**Victoria - Captain Kuroyuki  
**

**The demonic angel in Tony's flashback (name will be specified later on) - TwixyReitz**

**Oh, and the only reason why I spelt 'mommy' and 'mom' as I did is because Tony is American. Under normal circumstances I would be spelling it as 'mummy' and 'mum'.**


	4. Chapter 3

**10 pages  
**

Chapter Three

Niera stepped off the plane and into the passage that bridged the space between the plane doors and the airport. The hot and humid air of Hong Kong's spring washed over her, roaring in through the gaps of the windows and metal.

Even though Niera spent most of her five hundred years in Southeast Asia, she could never get used to the heat and humidity. Over the decades, she swore it was getting hotter and more humid.

Joseph used his hat as a fan to fan his face. "God damn," he cursed under his breath. "Why is it always so hot? It gets hotter every time I'm here."

"More concrete," Yin Di said flatly, taking the lead as they walked through the massive airport. They had flown in from Bei Jing, leaving in the early hours of the morning. Niera was dressed in a long purple summer dress while Yin Di had changed, throwing away his blood-stained clothes for new ones.

The group of three picked up their luggage – which were their weapons disguised in cases – and they passed through immigration easily on visas which Yin Di had acquired for them and continued to renew. Only he had a Chinese passport and Hong Kong ID card out of them all. He made everything easy for them; after all, he did control Bei Jing's mafia.

It was not in Yin Di's nature to lead something so violent. He did not have a cruel and uncaring heart. However, he was cold and sharp. He would never have taken up the post if Niera did not order him to do so and told him of the benefits it would reap. It was not as corrupt as it once was and by rights, that should have made his mafia weaker – but Yin Di was not some human man greedy for money. He had their loyalty, inspired through respect and fear, enhanced by Joseph and guided by Niera. They would do anything for him.

Yin Di's mafia knew the secret of the three, but did not exploit it. How could they? Who in their right mind would think to disobey and blackmail three such people? Yin Di was their boss. Niera was his superior. Joseph too, had his own connections and links.

"So, what's new to Hong Kong? What's happened during the decade I was asleep?" Niera asked curiously, noting that the airport had gotten even bigger. She also noted how people glanced and stared at them. Niera kept forgetting about how their appearances forever stood out like roses amongst weeds.

"Aside from it becoming hotter," Joseph grumbled, stopping at one of the shops to buy an electric fan. Niera readjusted the strap of the long tube-like case containing her sword on her back, and took her fan which Yin Di held out to her. It still smelt of sandalwood and Niera's expression softened. She associated this smell with Yin Di . . . always.

"The population is overflowing as usual," Yin Di sighed. "Prices of properties are going up, as usual; more buildings therefore more concrete. Technology has advanced a little further, and the Cantonese are struggling to keep the influence of Communism from their island."

Niera raised an eyebrow. "I thought the Party would have been able to take control by now considering Hong Kong does belong to China, whether the Cantonese like it or not."

"Well didn't the island of Hong Kong used to be a pirate land hundreds – or thousands – of years ago? The bloodline hasn't changed so they've still got their rebellious spirit." Joseph butted in, finally coming back from flirting with the girl at the till, holding a fan in his hand which whirled away. The wind rippled through his hair.

"Yes," Yin Di agreed softly. "Though you might want to be careful with how you say that and where. I've told you before, Joseph. They don't like being reminded of that. The Cantonese don't even like being reminded that they used to belong to the Common Wealth, and that was less than seventy years ago."

Joseph exhaled at the pointlessness of it all. "The Americans aren't going to save them from the mainland's influence. The Brits would have but they were kicked out. Pity how no one ever wants to look back at history to see the mistakes made and fix them so the present and the future are smoother."

Niera chuckled as they walked. "It's the bitter irony of life it seems," she said. "Those that live in history but don't affect it are always the ones that can see the mistakes and lessons. Those that live for such a short time and believe they don't make an impact on history are always the ones that make it, and they never look back at past history to learn from the mistakes made in the past. They have too much pride. As Chiropteran, we have no impact on the history of this planet, yet we can see all the mistakes made and the lessons that need to be learnt. The humans on the other hand _make_ the history of this planet, and they always repeat the same mistakes, too stubborn and prideful to look back and learn. They are so greedy, so . . . pathetic," she finally murmured. She was so tired, tired of humans repeating the same blasted mistakes over and over again. She was tired of searching for Ahel, tired of fighting Ianna.

_Once Ahel is found and Ianna is dead, I think it will be my time to leave, _Niera thought silently. _I am tired of the living._

"That was hurtful," Joseph sniffed. "I am still a human by heart, even if my body no longer is."

Niera smiled sadly at him. "Sorry, Joseph. I keep forgetting that you were both human once."

Joseph grinned and waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. You get guilty so easily. Besides," he looked ahead of him, his smile fading. "They were always so greedy, so pathetic. The powerful punish the weak, the rich rob the poor, the justice walker is executed . . ."

Niera's gaze lingered on him as his eyes became withdrawn, recalling his distant past from when he was a human, from when Ahel made him her Chevalier. Every Chevalier had a tragic and painful past.

Niera glanced at Yin Di who looked down upon her with an unreadable expression. He turned his grey eyes away, silent, and Niera frowned in worry. Even though she had been with him for over four hundred years, she still struggled to read him while he seemed to be able to sense her every thought.

She stiffened. Was he beginning to sense her tiredness and lack of will to continue on with this fight? It had been growing on her for a while now. Niera bit on her lower lip. She could not tell Yin Di. The hurt it would cause him would be unbearable.

They walked out to the front where cars and taxis waited to pick up those that just landed. A sleek black car waited not too far from them. A man in a black suit waited next to it, his black hair slicked back.

"Welcome back to Hong Kong, Master Yin Di," the man greeted smoothly with a bow. Niera peered at him, sure that she recognised him from somewhere.

"Ah! Lei!" She suddenly exclaimed, cutting Yin Di off and they both looked surprised. Lei smiled and also bowed to her.

"I am glad you remember me, Lady Niera. It has been twelve years."

A true smile was drawn across Niera's lips. "You were seventeen the last time I saw you. You have grown into a fine man."

Lei's loyalty to Yin Di was absolute.

"Lady Niera is too kind."

"Have you found yourself a pretty wife yet?" Niera fired at him, making Lei jerk slightly and his face flushed a touch.

"I'm afraid not," he said lightly, opening the doors for them. "It is difficult to find one as beautiful and as strong as you."

"Woah! Hold your horses there, Lei," Joseph exclaimed. "Don't tell me you've forgotten over the past twelve years that Niera is Yin Di's."

Yin Di raised an eyebrow. "Joseph. We're right here you know. You should mention that stuff when we are not around."

Lei held up his hands in defence, chuckling. "I was only giving a compliment. No one in their right mind would attempt to come in between Master Yin Di and Lady Niera."

They climbed into the black car, the tinted windows providing some relief from the harsh sun to Niera's eyes. Lei drove the car out from the airport and onto the motorway to get them to Deep Water Bay faster. Yin Di sat in the front passenger seat, meaning Niera and Joseph sat behind in silence as they listened to Yin Di and Lei discuss mafia relations and finance between Hong Kong and Bei Jing. He was out of their league in all honesty.

"I wish I could have the same kind of influence and style as Yin Di," Joseph sighed, watching the towering skyscrapers pass by.

"Then why not take control of one of North America's or South American's mafia? There are plenty to go around," Niera suggested.

Joseph smiled wryly. "I am not as cold as Yin Di, and besides, Ahel would never agree to it. Her heart is too kind for that sort of corrupt and violent power."

Niera gazed out of her window in silent sorrow, recalling her younger sister's joyous laugh and smile. "She was always the gentlest of us three sisters," she whispered. Hwayeom's death would have broken Ahel. It was a thought that flitted through Niera's conscious often, one which she wanted to voice out loud but could not. She could not bring herself to point out the possibility to Joseph. Ahel would never be the same again.

They drove, drawing further away from the airport and into the main throng of traffic through the streets of Hong Kong, and then those began to thin as they came closer to their destination. The wealthy residents of Hong Kong lived in huge flats or houses even in the quieter and remote parts of Hong Kong. Deep Water Bay was one of these places.

Finally they arrived at Yin Di's personal property and Yin Di sent Lei away to prepare his agents in Hong Kong for the fight that would arrive within the coming five years, now that the three Queens were awake. Niera spent a good half an hour familiarising herself with the enormous house that had been refurbished to fit the current fashion and trends. Joseph went to the kitchen to grab an ice cold beer from the fridge, before moving to the lounge and relaxing into the sofa. Yin Di also went through the house, checking that everything was in order.

"When was the last time you were here?" Niera asked him while she scanned the books in his study.

"About two years ago," Yin Di said, going through files in his draws.

Niera paused when she spied the red crystal on a shelf in front of his books. Solemn despair sighed through her and she reached out to touch the fragment that was Hwayeom's crystallised blood. However, she could not bring herself to touch it.

The horrors of that night flashed through her memory. The screams and roars echoed in her ears. She recalled Ahel's horrified grief, and Hwayeom's sorrowful smile. She imaged what it would be like if it was Niera and Yin Di in Ahel's and Hwayeom's place.

Niera's breath caught in her throat and she blinked, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened without warning. She hated imagining it, but it was the only way she could understand how Ahel felt – she had to put herself in her sister's shoes.

A powerful imagination was a curse, not a gift.

Yin Di's arms snaked over her shoulders and his sturdy body pressed against her back, drawing her closer to him in his embrace.

"Will you ever stop tormenting yourself with your own nightmares?" he breathed softly.

Niera touched his cool hand. "We live in time, Yin Di. We live in the past. I have to create these nightmares – I need my resolve otherwise, how can I fight?"

Yin Di did not say anything, but she heard his unvoiced reply.

_Do not fight. Flee with me. This is a fight between Ahel and Ianna. You do not need to fight. You do not need to fall into the Abyss with them._

It was true, but partly. Niera was the eldest, forever watching her sisters who were engulfed in her shadow. She was Ahel's guardian angel. She was Ianna's silent demon, and the source of Ianna's jealousy. Even though Ianna never did anything against Niera and vice versa, Ianna hated Niera for being the eldest and Ahel – even though she was not aware of it – would always pull Niera into their battle.

The two moved into the lounge with Joseph and sat down. Joseph – who had currently been relaxing back in a chilled out manner – leaned forward, his expression serious. His bottle of beer was already empty and on the coffee table. Another full one was in his hand.

"We are finding Ahel and Kylia this time for sure," Joseph murmured. "I have run out of patience."

Niera nodded in agreement. "I cannot do this again after another decade of sleep. I am also fed up with having to start again from the beginning every twelve years. This time we will succeed."

"I have expanded my people beyond Bei Jing," Yin Di said. "I have had them infiltrate the Southeast Asia governments so this time we cannot fail. Our reach is farther than ever before, as well as our power and influence."

"But it still won't be enough. We can nudge aspects of the governments and Secret Services in our favour but we are still at a disadvantage," Niera muttered. "Freya controls the British government entirely. Britain's King will not risk defying her for fear that she will kill their daughter. So in a sense, the Royal Family are her puppets. Not that it makes a difference. They are just figureheads anyway. They have power but they never use it. Annabel influences the EU to keep the continent in a mess and the Americans as usual constantly insist on sticking their nose in everyone's business. Joseph, is there any way you can threaten them enough to stay out of our way this time?"

"We have failed every time because the Americans always interfere when we are about to attain victory," Yin Di said.

Joseph glowered at both of them. "They don't do it out of scorn or evil," he said, defending his homeland.

"We are aware of that," Yin Di said flatly. "But the fact that they always interfere does not change.

Joseph exhaled deeply. "I'm not going to lie; they do get in our way. I wouldn't usually care but I cannot forgive the fact that they have stopped me from rescuing Ahel and Kylia. I will see what I can do and pull all the strings I can to keep the American's out of the way long enough. But unless the threat has something to do with a nuclear bomb, they aren't going to listen. And if they are threatened with a nuke then they will retaliate with a threat just as absurd, and most likely make the problem worse."

"Such as the constant tension between the North Koreans and South Korea's allies," Yin Di sighed. "So don't get nuclear weapons involved otherwise that will just make the situation worse."

Joseph nodded.

"Alright," Niera said. "That is one part of our plan sorted. Yin Di will mobilise his forces and Joseph, you will use that remarkable brain of yours to think of a strategy that will keep the Americans out of our way long enough for us to find and free Ahel and Kylia. However, before we can even do that, we need to know where they are being held. Have either of you managed to get closer while I was asleep?"

Yin Di neither nodded nor shook his head, while Joseph's hands clenched into fists and Niera saw his jaw tighten.

"Ianna is good, extremely good," he growled. "I can feel Ahel is alive and I feel the pull that all we Chevaliers have towards our Queen, but this pull has no direction. I can't follow it!"

Niera's expression fell in sympathy and Yin Di briefly placed a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.

"I want to think that Ahel and Kylia are somewhere in Europe," Joseph continued. "It is Annabel's territory and Freya is just across the English Channel. The entire continent is Ianna's fortress. Where better to hide Ahel and Kylia? But wouldn't that be too obvious?"

Niera frowned in thought.

"Perhaps. However, even if they are in Europe, it does not make it any less difficult for us to approach," Yin Di suggested. "Now that Niera, Ianna and Ahel are awake, we will have a better chance of tracking them down for this is where the fight begins. We will keep Europe as a likely possibility but we must hold it at arm's length in case it is indeed a false trail."

Joseph took a deep breath. "So, what do we do?"

The two men looked to Niera. She sat still in silence for a moment, before picking up her sword and she stood, moving to the massive wall that was a window. Niera gazed up at the bright sky. During the night the stars were visible, but only just, blocked out by light pollution. She remembered the days when there was no such thing.

Her gaze went down to her sword which she raised, and she pulled the sheath off enough to see the perfect blade. Yin Di had kept it in perfect condition for which Niera was grateful. A small bubble of happiness flitted through her heart as she remembered the Emperor who had given her this sword – his sword. He had been her friend and father figure, he had taught her how to fight and to treat humans as humans. She had respected him more than anybody.

Ianna had killed him.

Niera's purple eyes reflected in the smooth, steel blade. She blinked; those eyes changed to one yellow and one green. They were open. They were awake. Niera blinked again, her purple eyes stared back. Sorrow breathed her soul.

"_Never fight for revenge. Fight to protect."_

The words of her Emperor had become her soul and spirit. A reminder before her hate and grief took root in her heart. He lived on in the sword.

Niera turned to her two companions. "We must lure Ianna, or Freya or Annabel out into the open, where we will ambush them. They will retreat and we must pursue them."

They nodded and the rest of the night passed with them discussing methods and strategies.

* * *

Joseph walked a step behind Niera who walked a step behind Yin Di. The streets of Hong Kong were so packed it was impossible to walk three abreast without getting shoved. Joseph loved Hong Kong for its nightlife and buzz, but the manners of the people that lived there were atrocious. His looks worked to his advantage, making people move out of his way in awe. Poor Niera on the other hand had the opposite effect. It was probably because she was a beautiful woman, earning glares from other women and girls. If she was not getting that then she was either considered invisible – which was what she preferred – or getting stared at by other men. However, even the men did not stare for too long as Yin Di's presence made _everyone_ keep a good enough distance away. His long white hair and cold expression was probably one huge factor that made people weary. But it was mainly the air that surrounded him, the manner in which he held himself that kept people at a comfortable distance.

Truly a mafia boss.

Joseph snorted, sighing that he could not make people gawp at him in that same wary respect and fear. What he had though was better in his opinion, and something Yin Di did not have. Instead of being gawped at in fear and wary respect, people stared at him in adoration, envy and amazement. He smirked, glancing at the sea of faces from behind his stylish sunglasses. The intensity of the light forced him and Niera to wear a pair.

Joseph was loving the attention.

"I would have thought that the amount of people in Causeway Bay would act as a cover but seriously, you two _still_ draw a ridiculous amount of attention!" Niera exclaimed breathlessly, almost getting bumped into by another pedestrian. Yin Di took her hand and pulled her closer.

Joseph smiled dreamily. "You can't blame God for giving me this beautiful body. And how cute! You two are holding hands in public. That doesn't happen often."

Yin Di shot him a brief glare that had no effect, aside from making Joseph's grin wider. "But now I feel lonely. I look like the odd one out, the lost child, the guy with no girlfriend," he sniffed.

"Then get a girlfriend," Niera proposed.

Joseph chuckled. "No way. I'm a playboy. I can't commit myself to such a serious relationship like yours and Yin Di's."

_Besides,_ he thought, his smile fading. _The only woman I would have ever considered was already in love with another man._ That man was now dead, but the love remained.

Eternal.

Sometimes, Joseph wished a woman could also love him with such a passion that the feelings would remain even when one died. To be loved for eternity . . . It was beautiful – but agonising. Was it worth it?

He had always respected Hwayeom. Had always enjoyed his company and jolly nature. However, he also hated him, hated him for breaking Ahel when he was killed in front of her very eyes.

Joseph gazed around him and looked out over the great harbour that was Hong Kong. He leaned against the railing, letting the wind caress his skin. Yin Di stood close by while Niera had dashed off to buy some cold drinks.

"We should go to the Peak before everything gets under way," Joseph suggested gently, thinking of the shopping mall and balcony on top of the mountain that overlooked Hong Kong and Kowloon. It was a marvellous sight to behold, especially during the night when the buildings were alight with colourful and flashing lights.

Yin Di smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes. We should. It's been too long since we saw the lights from there."

Joseph began to turn away from the sea when something caught his eyes. He paused and peered out across the shimmering water. Huge container ships and oil tankers were anchored off shore; dredgers worked away, dredging up sand from the seabed. But it was another huge vessel that caught his attention, aside from the American aircraft carrier.

"Hey, Yin Di. Can you see what I'm seeing?" Joseph questioned when he noticed the man squinting in the same direction.

"Is that Red Shield's HQ?" Yin Di suddenly said in surprise.

Joseph's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. "I think it is." The two men exchanged a glance. If Red Shield was docked in Hong Kong harbour then that changed a lot of things.

Joseph laughed. "Well, well. Mark my words. Who would have thought that we are this close to them?"

The gang knew quite a bit about Red Shield, and how they were established in the mid eighteen hundreds to act as a Chiropteran Queen's shield against her twin. It was not often that other Chiropteran Queens were seen and for Joseph, it was his first time seeing Queens aside from Ianna, Ahel and Niera.

Thirty years ago was when the real action had begun and ended. It was really quite something to watch from the outside.

_Saya and Diva._ He remembered those names well, particularly Diva for she was quite the opera star.

"Here. I have your drinks," Niera said brightly, handing an iced coffee to Joseph, an iced tea to Yin Di and she kept the third one for herself. Iced bubble tea it was. Joseph would have found it an extremely strange drink, as was many of the foods and drinks across Asia. But he had travelled all over the world now and nothing surprised him much anymore.

"Niera, check it out," Joseph said, pointing out over the water to the cruise ship. Niera followed his point, and she brought in a small sharp breath.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Joseph grinned. "Red Shield's HQ."

Niera made a surprised sound. "What are they doing here? Thirty years have passed so I'm guessing that Saya has awakened. Shouldn't they be off the coast of Okinawa in that case?" She turned to Yin Di. "How is it that not even you were aware they had docked here?"

He tilted his head to the side and smirked. "Just because I control Bei Jing's mafia and have connections in Hong Kong, doesn't mean that I know every little detail of what goes on in this town."

Niera sighed. "You're right. Sorry."

Yin Di took a sip of his iced tea and leaned with his back against the railing. "They must have docked during the night, and this is Red Shield we're talking about. Only a select few in the marine department and government will know their true presence."

Joseph watched the ship thoughtfully. "Yin Di. Can you arrange a small boat to take me over there. I'm short on bullets. I can stack up now that I know they're here."

Niera looked at him in disbelief. "You're worried about ammunition resupplies when they could hunt us down and interfere?"

Joseph shrugged indifferently. "Hey, unlike you and Yin Di, I rely on modern technology as my form of attack. And at the moment I am short on bullets. Do you want me to be defenceless the next time we encounter Chiropterans or Ianna and her Chevaliers?"

Niera smirked with mirth. "You can fight just as well without guns and bullets."

"I know. But I prefer guns. I don't get my hands dirty that way."

Niera just rolled her eyes and Joseph turned his attention back to Yin Di, waiting for an answer to his question.

"No," Yin Di answered dryly. "You can swim there. It will be faster and easier. And that way I don't have to risk the life of someone to pilot the boat."

Joseph sighed gruffly. "You're both so stingy," he muttered under his breath.

The three of them left the railing and continued walking, watching out for signs of familiar Red Shield faces – and feeling for the presences of Chiropteran while Joseph started to plan his thievery.

* * *

Kanade had never been to Hong Kong before and so far, she liked what she saw despite the heat that bogged them down. Hibiki and Karasu were loving it even more. Hong Kong was a huge shopping mall, a massive bank, and an enormous harbour. The four of them; Kanade, Hibiki, Karasu and Victoria toured the streets, going into shop after shop, exploring mall after mall and occasionally peering in through the windows of classy restaurants. They tried local delicacies which Kanade and Hibiki loved. Karasu and Victoria on the other hand were not so adventurous, especially Victoria.

Anyhow, the four of them were having a good time shopping and exploring and even though Kanade had never been to Hong Kong before, she was not worried about getting lost. She had a good sense of direction but it was mainly something else. Victoria seemed to know her way around.

"Have you been to Hong Kong before?" Kanade asked her.

"Yes." Victoria nodded. "Quite a while ago though. I used to visit a lot before. It has changed but the places are all still here, the names have not changed, in addition to new places in the New Territories."

"Oh!" Hibiki exclaimed. "You can be our guide then! What are the iconic places to visit? What other foods should we try? Where should we –"

Victoria held up a hand. "I have not been here in quite a while so I am afraid I cannot assist in being a tour guide. I am struggling enough as it is to remember place names and roads."

Hibiki pouted and Karasu patted her on the back. "Don't worry about it. We'll learn this place inside out soon enough."

They carried on with their expedition when Hibiki gasped dramatically and very suddenly, making Kanade jump as her sister clutched her arm.

"What is it, Hibiki?" Kanade asked in alarm. Hibiki's eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed. She pointed across the road.

"Look at those two guys! Aren't they super hot?" She squealed. The other three followed her gaze.

"Damn," Karasu whistled, impressed. "Don't they look fit?"

"Who's that woman with them?" Victoria inquired, causing the shoulders of the other two to slump.

Kanade saw them too. The three looked like models of elegance. One of the men looked somewhat like a wild cowboy from the Wild West; the other man looked like a sharp mafia boss with stunningly beautiful long white hair, and in between the two was a young woman – a young woman with purple eyes.

Kanade's eyes widened as her brain made the link before her conscious was aware of it. A hand touched down on her shoulder, making her jump again. She turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. It was Saya and Haji.

"Saya-obasan!" Hibiki exclaimed.

Saya smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

"What are you doing here, Saya-obasan?" Kanade asked slowly.

Saya nodded across the road where the three people of interest disappeared around a busy street. "Those three," she said in a low voice, "are Chiropteran."

The group of them fell silent in shock and Kanade stared in the direction where she last saw the three.

"That woman," she whispered. "She had purple eyes."

Victoria's green eyes flitted between them and narrowed. "Could she be one of the three from your dream, Saya?"

Saya's expression was set in firm determination. "Most likely."

"Would that mean she's a Chiropteran Queen?" Hibiki asked quietly. Hearing that question voiced out loud sent freezing shivers down Kanade's spine.

_A Chiropteran Queen that we have never heard of . . . a Queen from a time long before Saya and Diva,_ Kanade thought in chilled silence. How strong . . . how frightening would such a woman be?

"Stay here," Saya ordered. "Haji and I will take care of it."

"Wait," Karasu said sharply, stopping Saya in her tracks and she turned her head to look at them. "If she is a Queen, then would that mean that those two men are her Chevaliers? That's two versus three. Not even you can take them with those odds."

Saya hesitated, looking like she really wanted to argue but in the end she sighed in defeat. "Fine. Kanade, Karasu, you two come with me as backup. Hibiki, Victoria, can you contact David? And inform him of the situation. Tell them to send Tony."

"Roger that," Hibiki said, turning and dashing away, weaving in between the pedestrians with Victoria parallel to her. Kanade and Karasu took off behind Saya and Haji who moved sleekly through the crowds. They turned corners and headed into quiet back alleys.

"You two stay behind me but keep close enough so you can see," Saya murmured. "I know you can both fight but this is another Queen and her Chevaliers we are talking about. They are probably just as skilled as Haji and I –"

She was interrupted by the sound of something slicing through the air, the clank of chains, there was a flurry of shapes, and before Kanade knew it, they had lost.

The man with long black, curly hair stood in front of Kanade and Karasu, holding his two handguns to their faces, wearing a dashing smile. Haji was bound in black chains, wielded by the man with long white hair. Saya had a partially unsheathed sword held against her neck, in the grip of the purple-eyed woman.

"Sorry there, Saya," the black-haired man said charmingly. "But we are perhaps far more experienced than you are. As they say, the older you are, the more experience you have."

Haji remained calm as always but he wore a dark expression. Saya's jaw clenched and Kanade and Karasu tensed, horrified at how quickly they were defeated. There was not even a fight. Karasu's muscles tensed and Kanade opened her mouth to voice a command.

"Do not move," the white-haired man ordered smoothly as the black-haired man set his guns. Kanade felt her mouth go dry. Karasu snarled under her breath but she made no other move to Kanade's relief.

"How do you know my name?" Saya questioned coldly.

"We know a lot about Red Shield," the purple-eyed woman said quietly. "We know a lot about their workings and purpose. They are . . . were . . . your shield against Diva."

Kanade and Saya's breath caught. The purple-eyed woman's gaze flickered to Kanade, holding her eyes and Kanade felt like she fell into those endless amethyst pools. Kanade's Chiropteran blood feared, respected and hated Saya's blood. It was in the nature of the Chiropteran. They were Queens and therefore equals, both of the same extremely rare and pure bloodline.

However, this purple-eyed woman was more than that. Saya was old, very old. But this other Queen felt ancient. The age was reflected in her deep gaze. Fighting such a woman was out of the question.

"It does not matter though," the purple-eyed woman said, pulling her sword away and she sheathed it. "What Red Shield does is none of our business as it is not our fight. I will not harm you as long as you do not harm us. This is just as warning."

The black-haired man lowered his guns and hid them away in his jacket again, while the white-haired man withdrew his chain from Haji. The three strangers took a step back and looked like they were going to retreat when Saya called out, "Stop!"

The purple-eyed woman glanced back. Her eyes were emotionless.

"You," Saya said. "I have seen you in a dream, a dream sent by your sister with green eyes."

Kanade watched as their eyes widened. Her heart fluttered with the excitement that this was all actually happening, that is was not just some dream after all. Tony had confirmed it was not a dream but it was not the same as seeing them in the flesh.

"Ahel," the purple-eyed woman breathed, recognition flashing through her gaze.

"Where?" The black-haired man demanded, stepping towards Saya until Haji moved in front of her protectively. "Where did you see her? Where was Ahel in your dream?"

"I – I don't know," Saya stammered.

The white-haired man placed a restraining hand on the black-haired man's shoulder. "Enough, Joseph," he murmured. "She will not know." Kanade frowned, struggling to understand what was happening.

"Oh? So Tony was not making up stories after all."

They turned to the source of the voice and found Callum at the entrance of the alley. Tony was beside him, one hand tucked within his jacket, no doubt ready to bring out his handgun – the gun that was once Kai's but had been handed down to him.

Callum, despite the situation, was smiling like an idiot, making Kanade want to jump over to him and slap that smile off his face so he wore an expression that fitted the situation. Tony's expression was appropriate. His eyes were narrowed with an echo of horrified recognition.

"You look just like her," he growled darkly. "The one with yellow eyes."

There was almost no change in the three strangers, but Kanade saw faintly how the purple-eyed woman's jaw clenched and spotted anger and hate flit through the black-haired man's gaze.

"You are sorely outnumbered, strangers," Callum said. "I ask that you come with us. Don't struggle."

The two men glanced at the purple-eyed woman and she shrugged and nodded. "Why not?" Her eyes landed on Tony. "It will be worth finding out what you know of my younger sisters." She held out her sword to Saya without argument and Saya took it. The white-haired man handed his chain and sickle to Haji, and the black-haired man held out his handguns for someone to take. Karasu snatched them from him.

"There," she snarled with a scowl. "Now you can't point those horrendous weapons in my face."

The black-haired man's expression fell in mock disbelief. "Horrendous? Excuse me but those are the best handguns in the world."

"Best?" Karasu's voice went an octave higher. "Look at this design! It's ancient, just like your old-fashioned sense of fashion!"

"Ancient?!" He exclaimed in dismay. "Take that back. You have some nerve insulting the design of a masterpiece. What is your weapon then, little miss Chevalier?"

Karasu opened her mouth and stopped. Kanade saw her mistake but Karasu was too proud to back down. Her Chevalier turned her face away, shutting her eyes and holding her nose high. "A bow," she sniffed.

The black-haired man snorted. "A bow? As in, bow and arrows? Who's the ancient one now?"

The two bickered away as they were lead back to a boat to take them back to HQ. The bickering was annoying.

"Will you two please shut up?" Kanade and the purple-eyed woman finally snapped in unison. It surprised Kanade that she had spoken an order at the same time as the other Queen, feeling like they connected for a moment, but at least it sent the other two into sulking silence. Kanade breathed a silent sigh of relief. And even though the situation was more serious than she could have ever predicted, she found herself grinning at the entertaining argument between the two Chevaliers which replayed in her head.

The sea was calm as they sailed back to the cruiser. Callum sat with the pilot, Tony stood on guard; Saya gazed down at the old Chinese sword in her hands and Haji sat nearby, calm but ready. Karasu and the black-haired man exchanged scowls and the occasional insult under their breath; the purple-eyed woman stared out of the window and the white-haired man sat next to her, eyes closed in unreadable thought.

Kanade frowned. The white-haired man was definitely that woman's Chevalier. There was an invisible link between them that Kanade could sense between Saya and Haji. There was love involved.

The black-haired man on the other hand did not seem to be that woman's Chevalier, especially from his reaction earlier. Was the green-eyed woman his Queen? But if so, then why was he with the purple-eyed woman? Kanade could not detect any romance so it had nothing to do with mating. Yet this man also seemed loyal to this woman to some extent.

Kanade's mind swam. It was awfully confusing.

_Later,_ she thought grimly. _Everything will be explained at HQ._

**A/N: And that was chapter 3 folks. No fighting involved but you can't have something exciting in every chapter otherwise the links can't get fitted in. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for the wonderful reviews! They really make my day ^_^  
**


	5. Chapter 4

**5 and a half pages  
**

Chapter Four

Niera, Joseph and Yin Di were guided through the massive cruiser and then placed in quarantine, much to Joseph's dismay.

"Quarantine?" He exclaimed in disbelief. "I didn't agree to being put in a tiny room with you two for the next twenty four hours!"

Yin Di sat back against the wall, his expression passive. "Neither did I, but what can you do about it? If they have any information on Ianna and her Chevaliers then we have to bear with it. Even the smallest bit of information may point us towards Ahel."

"I doubt they will know much if any," Niera mused tonelessly, picking up a newspaper that was in the corner. She was partially grateful that the people of Red Shield were not cruel or arrogant. They had enough thought to give them something for entertainment while they waited for a day in a tiny metal cell.

Joseph sat down with a deep and impatient sigh. "This is going to be such a waste of time."

"It might not be," Yin Di said. "We can use this opportunity to forge an alliance with Red Shield as they are a force that fights against Chiropteran that prey on humans. If not, then we can attempt to ensure that they will not interfere with us. Also it is the perfect chance for you to restock on ammunition."

"I guess you have a point," Joseph agreed grudgingly. "Saya . . . she said she saw Ahel, in a dream. She must know something. And same with that young protégé. What did he say again? 'you look just like her'?"

"They are sisters," Yin Di said dryly. "Obviously he has been unlucky enough to encounter Ianna in his life. I'm amazed she let him live. He must have been only a child at the time. Ianna does not distinguish between man, woman and child. Do you think there is any special reason she let him live?"

"No," Niera said flatly. "None. It is her game, to let some children live and watch them grow from afar, letting their hate and anger fester so they can try to kill her when they become old enough. If I had not been raised by my Emperor then I would have done the same. It is a good game to play. It makes the time that passes, more worthwhile. It makes the fighting and wars more exciting. Ianna toys with them like a cat plays with her mouse – until she will suddenly get bored, and end their miserable existence."

Yin Di rested his head back against the wall. "I would give him my sympathies, but it has happened so many times. His fate will be no different to the others. It is not our problem."

"Then again," Joseph said. "He is with Red Shield, and Red Shield has _three_ Queens and three Chevaliers on their side. He is probably in the safest place on the planet." He then chuckled. "Poor kid. He has such a serious expression and yet he's quite short, don't you think so? Five foot nine . . ."

Niera shrugged but Yin Di smirked and nodded. "At least he's taller than most women. He actually looks taller than he is."

Niera sighed and tossed her newspaper to Joseph. "Both of you are like women: gossiping away about someone behind their back. Joseph, you should read the paper to keep your mind occupied and Yin Di, you should start thinking of how to get our agents on the move. Oh and Joseph, that paper has some interesting stuff on world economics, particularly with the amount of the debt the US is in. It'll be worth of thinking of a strategy of using that against them to keep them out of our way."

Joseph pulled a face. "Fine then, you bossy woman. What are you going to do in the meantime? Daydream?"

Niera smiled wryly. "If only." She rested her head on Yin Di's shoulder, closing her eyes. "I am going to try and see if I can contact Ahel," she whispered. "If she contacted Saya through a dream, then I can do the same. I must . . . try."

Her words were met by silence, and she felt Yin Di drape his arm over her shoulders. Feeling completely safe within his presence, she let her mind wander, thinking of Saya and Haji, disappointed that they had been so easy to defeat. The rumours and from what she observed had told her that the two were quite a formidable force.

However, Saya and Haji would no longer fall for that trick again as such people learned fast. This was the first time that Kanade would have met another Queen that was not Red Shield's ally as well. It would have served as a good lesson to all of them to never take another of their kind lightly or as a joke.

She wondered why Ahel contacted Saya? It sent a wave of thoughts crashing through her mind and heart. Was Ahel alright? Was Kylia with her? Were they harmed?

With sorrow, Niera knew that she could not hope for much. Reluctantly, she sent her mind into the state she always used for such communications and then opened it to her youngest sister, sent it across space and time to the target who would receive the call. Maybe this time, this time she would succeed. All her previous attempts had failed.

_: Ahel . . ._ Niera called silently in the darkness of this telepathic realm. In these places, she always found that she wore her clothing of old, the robes of a noblewoman during the Ming Dynasty, the robes that her Emperor gave to her.

Half of her heart was not expecting to reach Ahel, yet the other half hoped nonetheless. So when she succeeded, it took her a moment for the knowledge and realisation to sink in.

Ahel sat on the black ground in very similar clothing to Niera. The style was slightly different, for Ahel's was Korean, not Chinese. Her long black hair was loose and she looked up with tired eyes, blinking slowly. Those green eyes glowed in the darkness.

_: Niera . . ._

Niera's breath caught in her throat as she stood in front of her youngest sister, staring down in despair. Where had the bright light from her eyes gone? Where was the beaming smile and the happiness in her voice?

Grief haunted Ahel's lost gaze.

Hwayeom . . .

_: Niera . . . what are you doing here?_ There was mild surprise in her voice and despite the forever lingering grief in her gaze, there was also faint hope. Seeing her eldest sister for the first time in a hundred years brought some measure of joy to her haunted regard.

_: I have been trying to reach you like this for the past one hundred years, Ahel_, Niera said softly. _You visited Saya in a dream and stimulated her awakening. Why have you never contacted me?_

Ahel glanced up at her, a brief flicker of desperation flitted through her eyes and she opened her mouth to reply.

_: Because I blocked them, just as I have always blocked you from reaching her, eldest sister._

Niera's chest tightened in dread, but she refused to let it show on her face. That had not been Ahel's reply. The two looked to their side. An almost identical woman to them stood a couple of metres away. She wore a simple white dress; her yellow eyes glowed in the silent and crushing darkness.

Purple . . . green . . . yellow.

_: Ianna,_ Niera murmured. Cold hate and anger stirred in her blood.

A small smile twitched at the corners of Ianna's lips. _: Niera_, she said in reply, her smile fading and her expression fell back into passive nothingness. _It has been a hundred years since we last saw each other. You still cling to the past. _She waved her hand at Niera's gown. _Will you not forgive me for killing your father figure, for killing Emperor Hong Zhi? We are Chiropteran Queens, eldest sister. We stand far above humans. He was bringing you down to their level._

Niera's fingers curled into fists and her jaw clenched, feeling the echo of grief cry in her heart. The rage and sorrow always remained in her heart, the hate was still just as strong as it was the day that her father figure was killed. She wanted to kill Ianna, kill her for destroying her happy life.

But it was not about Niera anymore. It was - until a couple of centuries ago.

_: Do not bring Emperor Hong Zhi into this,_ Niera said quietly, her voice like ice. _Do not continue to keep his name involved within our conflict. _

Ianna smirked coldly. _: How can I when you cling to his legacy?_

His sword . . .

_: I am not the only one who lingers in the past, Ianna, _Niera said. _You still cannot let go of Joseph._

Ianna stiffened.

_: I pity you, Ianna_, Niera continued. _You were too slow. Both you and Ahel saw him at the same time but Ahel still got to him first._

Anger flashed through her eyes before it was quickly brought back under control. Ahel stood, drawing their gaze. Ahel's eyes had strength in them, a strength which had currently been missing. The mention of Joseph was enough to pull her from her Abyss of sorrow over losing Hwayeom.

_: You will not have Joseph, Ianna,_ Ahel threatened, her tone as sharp as a blade. _He can never become your Chevalier, he will never become a companion or a friend to you, or a lover. It is not in his nature. Unlike you, he is kind. Unlike you, he smiles and laughs with warmth. Unlike you, he does not murder for fun._

Ianna's emotionless gaze flickered to Ahel. _: Quiet, Ahel._

_: Joseph's loyalty will forever remain with Ahel until the day he dies,_ Niera said. _And until Ahel is freed, he will remain under my protection._

_: You will never find Ahel or Kylia_, Ianna sneered. She held her palm up to Ahel and both Niera and Ahel gasped. The veil of space that surrounded Ahel cracked and her form became distorted, like seeing one's reflection in a broken mirror.

_: Niera!_ Ahel cried sharply, striking a cord in Niera's heart. Ahel's green eyes and voice were filled with fear and desperation. She brought her hands to her mouth, looking as if she was suddenly about to cry.

_: Please help me . . .!_

Ahel's form shattered just as Niera took a step towards her, hand out-stretched. The fragments of her visionary form dissipated, scattered away like ash in the wind.

Niera felt a jolt of pain shoot through her heart as she was torn away from her youngest sister once again. Her sister's broken voice, her plea, rang in her ears.

_Help me . . . help me . . . help me . . ._

Niera turned to Ianna in icy rage. Ianna returned the glare with frost.

_: This vision is only possible because I have allowed it, Niera, _Ianna stated dryly. _Allowing you to reach Ahel was simply so I can talk to you alone, and give you a message._

Ianna stood in front of Niera. She was so close, but Niera did not step away. They were mirror images of each other. Only clothing and eye colour made the difference.

_: I will have Joseph. Eventually he will stand by my side,_ Ianna whispered. _And Ahel and Kylia will die. They will die before you find them. They will die the same way I killed Hwayeom. You are the eldest, Niera, and therefore the strongest of us three. But I will break you. I will break you so you stand on equal footing with the rest of us Chiropteran Queens – and fall further._

Ianna's disturbing and twisted yellow eyes struck old fear within Niera's soul. Ianna had no limits. Her mind was broken, twisted and warped. She would never stop, she would never rest. She would forever keep going until Emperor Hong Zhi's blade, coated in Niera's blood, pierced Ianna's beating heart.

Niera's eyes narrowed. The space around Ianna cracked, causing the middle sister to take a sudden step back, before Ianna's expressionless mask fell back over her cold stare.

_: I always forget how strong you are,_ Ianna muttered. _Yet you never use that power and strength. I will make you use it and you will become our Empress, in which case I will never be able to kill you._

_: I will not step beyond my station,_ Niera hissed.

_: Then you will die, and so will those around you. I do not know where you are but I feel a familiar mind close to yours. A boy . . . a boy who's grief, rage and hatred draws me towards his location – your location._

Suddenly wary, Niera took a step back and focused her mind on destroying the vision. Her sister could not find out her location! Ianna's yellow eyes penetrated hers.

_: I will find you, Niera. We will see each other again – very soon._

The vision shattered, like a window smashed, leaving behind the ripped voids of darkness that rippled like disturbed water. Niera sat up abruptly with a gasp, her eyelids flying open. Her mind rose from the darkness and slowly, she focused on everything around her.

She was still in the small room. The light was on but outside the window was darkness. It was night. Joseph sat in front of her against the other wall, sitting very still with the newspaper in one hand. In the other was a small knife that belonged to Yin Di. Upon closer inspection, Niera realised Joseph had been cutting out chains of little men figures that were holding hands.

To her left was Yin Di. His hand had slid down to her waist. There was a beat of silence from the two men, stunned from Niera's sudden wakening.

"Nightmare?" Joseph asked with humour as usual. Yin Di's tone on the other hand was very different.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice tight. "Did you reach Ahel?"

Niera realised she was sweating slightly from the fear and tension from the vision. Her heart hammered away in her rib cage.

But here she was safe. Here she was with Yin Di and Joseph, lover and friend. Ianna was far away. It was impossible for her to find them when they were at Red Shield's HQ. She could not find them.

Niera closed her eyes and she sighed heavily, her shoulders rising and then falling. She ran a hand over her face. Her two sisters' appearances were so very clear in her mind. Crushing emotions roared through her heart and soul.

Ahel. She finally reached her. Her youngest sister still mourned for Hwayeom's death. She always would for the rest of eternity. The pain and devastation would always linger, but now, now there was some strength returned to her emerald gaze. Perhaps they could find her after all. Ahel had been in her Abyss of sorrow for a century. Now she was rising from the darkness, gathering in strength. The bond between her and Joseph would be resurrected and maybe at last, Joseph will be able to find a direction to the force that pulled him towards his Queen.

Niera nodded in response to Yin Di's question. Joseph's lips parted in overwhelming hope.

"You saw Ahel? You finally reached her?" He whispered, lowering his newspaper cut-outs.

"Yes," Niera breathed as Joseph's hope infected her. "I reached Ahel this time." She took a deep breath, and told them of the vision. Niera told them of how Ahel grieved for Hwayeom but responded to Joseph's name, and how she may finally begin taking a grip on reality. She told them of Ahel's desperation for help, strengthening their resolve to finally finish this once and for all.

She also told them of Ianna, of how she could not let go of Joseph and accept that he was Ahel's Chevalier. Ianna had not changed at all. Ahel and Kylia still lived – for now.

What was most disturbing was Ianna's final words. She will see them soon, drawn by the negative emotions of one person, one boy.

"Who?" Joseph questioned. "There will be plenty of boys and girls who hate Ianna for murdering their families. Why one boy in particular? Is there one close to us?"

"It's been twelve years. Whatever 'boy' Ianna refers too will be a young man or a teenager now," Yin Di said. "Still, there will be more than a few of those in any location, including Hong Kong."

"So what is Ianna on about?" Joseph huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.

Niera frowned, sitting in silence. In the end, they dismissed it, but kept it at the back of their minds as a warning that could still very much come to pass. Either way they were going to see Ianna, Freya and Annabel soon. Everyone was awake, and the conflict would commence once again. This time, it was the final run. This time, the fight will come to an end.

The hours ticked past and day finally arrived. Morning marched into afternoon, and then finally the door opened. The three of them looked up. Saya and Haji stood just outside, and two other young women stepped into the room. One had mahogany coloured eyes like Saya and Niera watched her with a calculating gaze. This one was Kanade's twin, the third Queen of Red Shield. The power of the Queen rolled within.

Beside this third Queen was a petite young woman, probably no older than sixteen, with long and ringlet blond hair, and sharp green eyes. Niera wanted to smile slightly in irony.

_Such green eyes, just like Ahel's, _she thought silently_._ This one was a Chevalier – the third Queen's Chevalier. Something smelt off about her though . . . something about the blood.

"Finally," Joseph sighed, standing and stretching. "I've been bored stiff." He stretched his arms high above his head, leaving his abdomen completely unprotected against four Chiropteran who could well end up becoming their enemies. Joseph was playfully toying and mocking their sense of justice and trust.

The blond Chevalier leaned towards him in warning, tapping his abdomen. "Just because we are here does not mean you are free to go anywhere. And it is offensive for you to believe that we will not attack you."

Joseph grinned. "Wanna touch my abs, eh?" He completely ignored her threat and Niera rolled her eyes.

The Chevalier's expression darkened despite her well-practiced smile. "I will shred them." Her smile faltered however when she spotted Kanade's twin gaze dreamily at Joseph.

"You look dashingly wild," she sighed distractedly.

"You have beautiful eyes, elegant maiden," Joseph purred, touching the tip of his finger beneath her chin. Her Chevalier smacked his hand away.

"Womaniser," she said with distain before casting her Queen a disapproving look. "Your attraction towards aesthetics in people never ceases to surprise me, Hibiki. Can you not have some control over yourself?"

"I'm sorry," Hibiki squealed sheepishly before struggling to bring a serious expression to her face.

Yin Di exhaled softly. "We are short on time. If we are to talk then please do so quickly."

Hibiki's expression melted once again upon seeing Yin Di this time from close up. Niera sighed internally at this woman's entertaining weakness. Hibiki's Chevalier looked like she was about to say something when Saya interrupted.

"Please come with us," she said to the three of them. "We are ready to receive you now. But I will warn you, should any of you give us any reason to make us believe you may be hostile, then we will attack without further notice."

"Therefore we strongly advise that you refrain from any such attempts," Hibiki's Chevalier informed them. "There are three Queens and three Chevaliers aboard this vessel. That is six versus three, two per one of you. It is highly unlikely that you will succeed with such odds."

Niera and Yin Di did not say anything. They only nodded and Niera yanked Joseph back so he stood between she and Yin Di, a safe place for both parties should Joseph be foolish enough to say some snarky or perverted comment to the women that surrounded him.

Saya and Haji walked in front of the trio, while Hibiki and her Chevalier flanked the trio from behind to ensure the three could not turn and escape. Escaping was not their intention anyway. Niera wanted to know if Red Shield knew anything about Ianna and possible clues as to her activities that may lead them to Ahel and Kylia. She wanted to know if Red Shield was willing to not get involved or to join the fight.

It would certainly be to Niera's advantage if Red Shield was on her side, but she was no longer in any mood to drag more people into their violent conflict, causing misery and suffering to those that got involved. She did not want more people to die. She could not bear to see a repeat of what happened in Russia a hundred years ago.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is a bit short. But I've just come to understand that it's probably easier for everyone else if the chapters are shorter so there is less to read then. I'll still probably alternate between 5-10 pages though per chapter. It depends of what's going on in the story.  
**

**Not much going on here but it is all part of the plan/plot. Everything I write in this story is all from the plan which I had since even before you all sent in your OCs. So if it looks like I'm favouriting or neglecting a character more than another, it is purely because of the plot, not because of my own personal preference. I have nothing against the OCs as I love them all. They are all equal and truly fabulous ^_^**

**Now just a reminder, if I'm taking a while to update then it's because I am extremely busy. I've got placement everyday and I'm knackered each evening, and as you all know, writing requires brain power (which I lack at the end of the day -.-) I'm also sorting out housing properties atm so that's more stress added.**

**Still, I will try to update as often as I can and thank you all for the reviews! :) They really spur me on.**


	6. Chapter 5

**7 and a half pages  
**

Chapter Five

The whole gang sat and stood around a table for ten. Niera, Yin Di and Joseph sat at different sides of the table. In between them were Joel, Saya, Kanade, Hibiki, Julia, Lewis and David. Standing around the edges of the room against the wall were Haji, Victoria, Karasu, Tony, Callum and Kai. It was an incredible sight for all of them, for experts and Chiropteran alike were all within the same room.

"First of all, can you tell us who you are?" Joel asked calmly, his voice naturally soft and composed. "You match the details Saya has given us and Tony recognises you from another figure in his past."

Niera's gaze flickered between Saya and Tony. Saya had dreamt of the three sisters, Tony had his fate changed by Ianna. Niera could feel ever such tiny hints of the vengeance that the young man's heart craved. He hid it well.

"My name is Niera," Niera said softly. "I am a Chiropteran Queen over five hundred years old and the eldest of three sisters. This is Yin Di." She waved her hand towards the white-haired man. "He is my first and only Chevalier. And this is Joseph." She then waved her other hand at Joseph. "He is a Chevalier of my youngest sister, Ahel. Ahel is the one who contacted Saya through a dream."

Karasu whistled. "Over five hundred years old? You're ancient, aren't you, grandma?"

Niera's lips twitched and Kanade elbowed her Chevalier in the ribs. "My apologies on behalf of Karasu Chi," the young Queen muttered before turning her attention to Joseph. "If you are another's Chevalier then why are you with another Queen? Are you two . . . well . . ." She trailed off.

Joseph and Niera both snorted in humour at the impossible thought. "No," Niera said. "Definitely not. Circumstances have made it so that Joseph must remain under my protection temporarily. I would like to know something though. How much about Ianna does Red Shield, or any of you, know for that matter?"

They frowned. "Who is Ianna?" Kai asked.

"The middle sister," Niera said, her voice chilled. "With whom I have had an eternal conflict with. She currently holds Ahel and her other Chevalier, Kylia, hostage in an unknown location. As a secret organisation that specialises in the Chiropteran, my companions and I were rather hoping that you would have some information that could well give us clues as to where Ahel and Kylia are hidden."

They all looked to Joel. "Indeed, we are a secret organisation that specialises in dealing with Chiropteran around the globe. How do you know of us?"

"Red Shield is only two hundred years old, whereas we are far older," Yin Di murmured. "We watched the war between Saya and Diva from a distance during the occasions when we were not so busy with our own conflict. But as Chiropteran, we are all part of the same secret society. There are no secrets amongst the newer generation of Chiropteran. We know all that happens."

David did not look too happy about that. "Why have you never made your presences known?"

"Because there was never any need to," Yin Di replied. "We had no intention of getting involved for it was not our fight and none of our business."

"But now we are your business?" Victoria questioned dryly.

"Only because you intentionally attempted to attack us," Yin Di said.

"You cannot prove that," Kanade pointed out carefully.

Joseph sighed. "It does not matter. We just want to know if _you_ know anything about Ianna's dealings or working seeing as your young protégé – Tony is it – has encountered her before. Once you give us that information then we will be off on our way."

Lewis exhaled thoughtfully. "That will not be as simple as you think. We cannot simply let you be 'on your way'. We cannot risk you giving away information about us, or our current location if you leave."

Yin Di smirked. "How familiar this sounds to the ways of mafias," he mused. "You want us to join you, or swear some form of allegiance so it acts as a guarantee that we will not attack you or sell you out to another organisation/government?"

Niera smiled internally at the sting in the air from Yin Di's frankness.

Julia chuckled. "I guess you can put it that way."

"I am afraid that can never happen," Niera said. "At least, not to the extent that you would like. Yin Di's overall power alone almost rivals that of Red Shield and Joseph has his own links. However, I can guarantee that I will not make Red Shield my enemy. Becoming allies would in fact be extremely beneficial but I would rather that you do not get involved in our war at all. Should you interfere with our goal then I will declare Red Shield my enemy, which will be highly unwise for you. Ianna in effect has the continent of Europe under her control and she will view Red Shield as her enemy as well."

"Don't you think you are rather arrogant to believe that we will be the weaker side should you turn against us?" Callum said lightly, yet the underlying tone was anything but.

"If Ianna declares Red Shield her enemy then you are at war with the EU, the British Royal Family and government," Niera stated flatly. "If I am also your enemy, you will have much of Southeast Asia against you." She did not say anything more for that alone was enough to paint a clear enough picture for the people in the room.

"It is unwise to threaten the tiger when in the tiger's lair," Tony muttered coolly.

"The tiger was asking for it," Joseph said bluntly.

"No one asked you," Karasu retorted. Joseph just shook his head, in no mood to argue or to act as a womaniser.

"Answering your earlier question," Joel cut in. "I am sorry to say that Red Shield has no record of this Chiropteran Queen, Ianna, nor of you or Ahel, or of the Chevalier's involved. However, your existence has finally explained why the number of Chiropteran never decreased but fluctuated between remaining constant and rising."

"That will be because of Ianna," Niera said quietly. "She has spent centuries trying to discover my tomb. She has been constantly creating armies of Chiropteran for that purpose, as well as for her own entertainment. This time, she succeeded in finding my tomb." Niera took a deep breath, feeling her heart sink at the knowledge that Red Shield most likely could not help her find Ahel. However, she looked up at the young human man. "Ianna has appeared in your life before . . ."

Tony met Niera's unwavering gaze, before he then cast a glance at Joel.

"Tony may tell you, but only if he wishes to do so," Joel said.

Niera nodded in understanding.

"The yellow-eyed woman, Ianna . . ." Tony said softly, trailing off and Niera supressed a sigh of resignation. It appeared that Tony would not tell her.

"She killed my family," Tony then continued to Niera's surprise and hope. She sensed Joseph stiffen next to her with the same feelings. "She killed my family and burnt my home to the ground. There was someone with her, something that looked like a demonic angel that carried a flaming sword . . ."

Joseph sighed. "One of Ianna's Chevaliers." He then shook his head in disbelief and muttered under his breath, "I can't believe you are still alive after encountering _both_ of them in one go."

Niera's gaze did not waver, reading the deeper emotions behind his expression and voice. There was old and buried rage and anguish, an eternal desire for vengeance.

"I joined the American CIA in the hopes of hunting Ianna down," Tony continued. "But they had nothing. There were sightings but aside from that, there was no actual information on her or her Chevalier. When I was reinstated to Red Shield, I actually had the same hopes as you – that Red Shield would have some information on her, anything. But there is nothing. As you have pointed out, Red Shield is only two hundred years old and serves as Saya's shield. Everything we do revolves around Saya and Haji. If they had not encountered other Chiropteran Queens, then neither will have Red Shield."

After he had spoken, Niera, Yin Di and Joseph sat in grim silence.

So Red Shield knew nothing at all either. They had no leads at all, except for what the three already had. Impatience stirred in Niera's blood. Red Shield – if they had no information – was of no use to them. It would be better to ensure they stayed out of the fight in that case.

"It has been twelve years since my family were killed by Ianna," Tony added. "I have seen no sign of her existence since then."

"That is because she was asleep," Niera said distractedly.

"Your cycles of hibernation are different?" Hibiki asked curiously.

Niera nodded. "Different bloodline therefore different cycles of hibernation. We sleep for twelve years and wake for five. Our patterns are almost identical, give or take a few weeks between the three of us."

Saya laughed weakly. "That is much more convenient than mine. Sleep for thirty and wake for three."

Haji touched her shoulder in sympathy.

"Why is Ahel and her Chevalier still alive then when Ianna holds them hostage?" Callum pressed. "Ianna could easily kill them."

Niera glanced up and found Joseph looking across the table at her with that gaze. Should he tell them? Niera nodded once.

Joseph took a deep breath. "They are still alive to act as bait, so that they can lure me to Ianna. I am the only one she doesn't want to kill. Without Niera's and Yin Di's strict conduct, I would have fallen for that trap a hundred years ago."

Many of the people in the room looked away as no doubt memories of thirty years ago were resurrected in their minds: Saya's second Chevalier, Riku, and the fate that Diva had forced on him and created. They knew what it meant when a Queen mated with another Queen's Chevalier. Everything was now much clearer for everyone.

However, it did not change the fact that Red Shield had nothing of use to Niera.

"So, you know nothing basically," Joseph finally said, his voice low.

"That is correct," Joel said solemnly. "I am sorry."

"Oi Joel, why are you apologising?" David criticised. "We do not owe these people anything."

"He is right," Niera agreed with a sigh. "This visit is fruitless, therefore we will move on. I can assure you that we will not share any knowledge that we have of Red Shield to anyone else. We have known of your existence for the past two hundred years and never spoken of it to another soul, therefore we will not change that pattern. I swear it on Emperor Hong Zhi's grave."

David, Callum and Kai looked at them dubiously. "Who is Hong Zhi?" Saya asked.

The memory of the man she called a father flashed up in her mind, recalling his soft voice and jolly laughter, his kind and understanding smile.

"The man who raised me," Niera said quietly. "The Emperor of China during the Ming Dynasty who ruled between 1487 – 1505."

Saya's expression fell in understanding. Joel I raised her like a daughter. She loved him as a father and would have done anything for him. Of course, he died when Saya freed Diva, causing her to weep for the first time in her life.

"Unfortunately, we cannot let you go so easily," Victoria said. "We need more than your promise."

The three of them felt impatience stir and a window cracked, causing the rest of them to jump. Saya's eyes shot to Niera. All Queens were telekinetic and telepathic to some extent, Niera more so for some unknown reason. The cracked window reminded them who – or what – Niera was.

"As Yin Di said earlier," Niera began, her voice lacking the emotion that she felt in her heart. "We are short on time and patience. We must find Ahel and Kylia. I would not mind if Red Shield aided us in our search but if not, then I ask that you stay out of our way."

"We will see about that," Callum said with finalisation.

* * *

The sky was dark with night as Kanade gazed up at the stars that were blurred by light pollution. Still, it was a beautiful sight. The cruiser barely rocked on the water. The air was clean over the sea, and towards land were the great lights of Hong Kong. The sound of life in the huge town floated over to her across the waters of the harbour.

She replayed the meeting in her head once again. It had been two days now since then and the three strangers were still held in custody to try and find some sort of deal between them and Red Shield.

Kanade could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of curiosity towards the three strangers, and therefore of Saya and Haji. They were all such old people yet with eternally youthful bodies. Their pasts and histories were so long, filled with conflict and mysteries. Kanade wanted to know more about all of them, yet she was afraid to look at the same time. Something hung in the air, like a calm before the storm.

What was coming?

Was she afraid? She had a feeling that somehow, Red Shield would be wrapped up within Niera's fight. But did they have to? For five hundred years these Queens of old have fought an eternal battle, and not once have they impacted on the world in any significant way, not in the same way as Diva and Saya at least.

Niera has dealt with the fight just fine so far, so Red Shield had no reason to get involved, right? That was what Niera wanted, for them to not get involved and Kanade's heart agreed with that even before she realised it. The Chiropteran within Kanade shied away from Niera in instinctual fear and wariness. All Queens were telepathic and telekinetic, even Kanade and Hibiki – though they rarely used it as they never had to and therefore did not know exactly how to use it. However, there was something else about Niera. Just what was it?

And that woman was just one Chiropteran Queen. Her sisters would be the same. Was Red Shield willing to jump into that? Red Shield had three Chiropteran Queens, therefore in numbers, they rivalled these older ones, but Saya was the only with experience. Kanade and Hibiki could fight, but their skill was painfully lacking compared to Saya's.

Worried and thoughtful, Kanade wandered around the deck to the other side of the cruiser, pondering and mulling over concerning thoughts. Her heartw as already telling her something. She did not want to fight. She did not want to be thrown into a situation where Karasu's, Hibiki's, Victoria's, Saya's or Haji's life was put in danger. She did not want to experience that terrible fear of seeing them in danger or the grief should she lose them.

Sensing another presence, Kanade glanced up. Saya leaned against the railing of the cruiser, staring out across the waters into the darkness of the sea. Hong Kong behind. Her aunt did not seem to notice her approach and with Kanade's sharp eyes, she noted how distant her aunt's gaze was.

Kanade stopped where she was and turned her head to Haji. He stood against the wall, his cello case on his back and his gaze moved from Saya to Kanade. Haji did not say anything, nor smile in greeting. It did not hurt or offend Kanade as that was simply who he was, and she knew how kind and thoughtful his heart was. Instead, the greeting was in his silent eyes. Kanade moved over to him and they both turned their gaze back to Saya, thinking the same thing.

The Queen wanted to live, live a happy life with everyone that she loved and cared about, together, as a family. She had fought so hard to achieve that peace, and that was what she was supposed to have woken to. However, now this new threat hung over the air. It was a threat that they did not have to answer . . . or did they?

"Will Saya take up her sword again, Haji?" Kanade asked quietly. The legendary weapon slept within the cello case.

Haji's gaze was detached. "It is up to Saya on whether she will fight once again," he whispered. "Whatever her decision, I will follow and obey."

Kanade glanced at Haji. "But this is not our fight," she said softly. "It has nothing to do with us. They do not threaten us."

Haji's pale eyes flickered to Kanade. "Saya's peace and happiness is threatened. Yours and Hibiki's peace is threatened. Saya has fought and suffered to achieve it."

"And she does not deserve to go through that suffering again," Kanade murmured, meeting Haji's gaze. It was unwavering, and in the end, she was forced to look away. There was so much in his eyes, so much history and so many memories, of good and bad times, of pain and loss.

"Saya will never rest easily with the knowledge that this peace is false," Haji said quietly.

Kanade bit on her lower lip to stop it from trembling. "Niera . . . she looks capable. She will be able to manage without us. If Saya won against Diva, then so can Niera against Ianna. Niera can manage . . ."

"You are afraid, Kanade," Haji murmured softly.

Kanade's fingers curled into a fist while her expression did not change. Haji was right. She could not deny the fear in her heart. She looked to Saya.

Saya was so strong. How could she be so strong?

Haji placed a hand on Kanade's shoulder and Kanade looked at him. He smiled slightly, catching Kanade by surprise.

"No matter what decision is made, protect the peace that Saya fought so hard to achieve for all of us and for her," he whispered. "You will find that there is courage within you, even if you cannot see it now. When peace is at present, fight to maintain it. When peace is lost, fight to regain it. Believe in Saya. Believe in yourself, Kanade, and have faith in your heart. Protect what is important to you."

* * *

Karasu watched Kanade from her perch on a few decks higher up. The gentle breeze ruffled the loose strands of her hair that had come free from her braid. Karasu stood in silence, feeling the faint flutters of uneasiness that came from Kanade's heart.

The Chevalier's jaw clenched in stirring anger. She remembered nothing of her past before she became a Chevalier, having suffered an injury to her head during the time she was converted and now could remember nothing, save for everything that had happened in the last five years since she became a Knight to serve her Queen.

Sometimes, she wondered what it would be like to remember her past. How different would it be? Did she want to remember?

Over these past five years, Karasu had been happy. She lived with a Queen that cherished her as her best friend and was surrounded by friends she now called family. They were all kind and made each other laugh with light-hearted humour. They went out to party and drink, they fought Chiropteran together, they saved people together.

Karasu was now twenty nine, but her physical form was forever frozen at twenty four. If she did have a family before she became a Chevalier, would she want to go back to it?

_. . . No . . ._ Karasu thought silently. Red Shield was her family now, and she loved them all dearly. She would do everything in her power to protect this peace and happiness. She did not want to see grief and horror in Kanade's expression. The thought of it made Karasu heart ache painfully.

Everything had been perfect – until these new Chiropterans made their appearances. Now they threatened everything that they lived for. They made Kanade feel doubtful. Not once had Karasu ever seen Kanade doubtful. Her Queen was sharp and certain, a natural born leader. Now, her heart wavered.

_I will not forgive them._

Karasu turned her back and glided back into the cruiser, leaving Kanade, Saya and Haji alone in the dark. She set off to find one of the three strangers and to tell them to leave. They would, if only Red Shield's superiors would allow it. The three strangers wanted to be gone, they did not want Red Shield involved, so why was Red Shield so stubborn? They were no better than other agencies. Karasu was angry at both parties. She did not care if she disobeyed Red Shield by helping the three strangers go away. As long as it could ensure the peace stayed as it was, then Karasu would do it. As long as it could keep Kanade smiling, she would do whatever it took.

Extending her senses, she felt for the three. They were at different ends of the cruiser to Karasu annoyance. However, she felt a small thread of relief at the same time. The Queen with purple eyes gave off some kind of air that made Karasu feel uneasy. The man with long white hair felt cold and made Karasu think twice before approaching him. The older these Chiropteran beings were, the more wary Karasu felt about them. Their age reflected in their gaze.

However, the third presence belonged to that Wild West Chevalier who seemed to be the most approachable, despite how irritating Karasu found him. His presence was the closest and so Karasu headed in his direction, too lazy to go for one of the farther ones.

She moved with the shadows that rolled within the corridors of the cruiser, following Joseph's presence and then she frowned upon realising where she was going. It was the armoury.

Karasu breathed sharply and moved faster, leaving faint trails of lilac light behind her from the speed of her movement and she silently snuck into the part of the ship that was filled with guns, knives, grenades, smoke bombs and so on. Only a few of the lights were on, making shadows long and stretched.

There was someone inside and Karasu moved within the shadows, jumping silently over the shelves that were lined with weapons. Who was stealing? Or rather, what were they doing? They could be setting up a bomb.

She came across the culprit. Joseph stood in front of a series of shelves that were packed with bullets. He reloaded his .44 Magnums and stuffed his pockets with ammunition. Karasu stared across at him in disbelief. What a sneak!

He did not seem to notice her presence, too busy stocking up on supplies that did not belong to him and so she pulled out her bow and an arrow. Her arrows were as black as the voids of the Abyss, while her bow was of beautiful crystalline glass, carefully lined with metal and leather as to not cut her own hands.

Karasu knocked an arrow and drew her bow, aiming for his hat, but not for his head. Even though she did not like any of the three strangers much, she was not daft enough to ignore Niera's warning. Attacking any them directly would immediately draw Red Shield into their fight, whether Red Shield wanted to or not.

She smirked. _Do not insult my archery, cowboy. _

Her fingers let go of the arrow and it flew true, slicing through the air, pierced Joseph's hat and pinned it to the wall. Joseph raised his head, still with his back to her.

"Oh my," he mused. "I did not sense your approach at all, nor your killing intent." It annoyed Karasu even more that he seemed unfazed by almost getting an arrow impaled through his skull.

He turned around and Karasu stepped out from behind the shelves, keeping her expression controlled but the dark smile remained on her lips.

"That will teach you for insulting my weapon," Karasu said sleekly. "Next time, I will aim for your head."

Joseph grinned. "That would be worth a try. You are the first one whose presence I did not notice. You're like a ninja."

Karasu felt smug about the compliment, despite her efforts to beat it back down.

"Put those bullets back or I will raise the alarm of a thief and intruder," she ordered, her voice light yet with a threat underneath.

"Will you?" He asked sweetly. "I may be stuck inside Red Shield's HQ, but Red Shield is stuck in Hong Kong which is Yin Di's domain."

Karasu's smile was tight. Was he lying? Bluffing? Or was he telling the truth? If it was the truth, then Red Shield was surrounded, just like how the three strangers were surrounded by Red Shield's agents.

"An impasse, I see," she noted.

Joseph nodded.

Karasu's smile faded. "I want the other two and you gone. Leave now while the higher ups are discussing what to do with you."

Joseph put his hand guns away. "You are one of them. One of Red Shield's members. Are you willing to disregard their orders?"

"If it ensures that Kanade will not be dragged into your fight, then yes. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, to keep her smiling."

Joseph's grin faded, all humour gone and his gaze was distant. As Chevaliers, they both had the desire to do whatever it took to keep their Queens safe and happy. But Joseph's Queen was not with him. Had he failed?

There were emotions within his eyes, emotions so deep and sorrowful that Karasu felt her expression soften. She did not want to become like that. She did not want to have despair and hopelessness weigh down on her heart from failure.

"We want to be gone too," Joseph said with a sigh. "It will be easy enough to escape this ship. But if we do that then Red Shield will send you and the others after us to silence what we know of your organisation. Understandable, as Red Shield is an unknown agency. But we do not have the time and patience to deal with Ianna _and _Red Shield. We don't want to make Red Shield our enemy."

Karasu wanted to huff in frustration because although she hated to admit it, what Joseph said true. Red Shield would indeed pursue them, which would mean that Kanade and everyone would be pulled in again.

"That will only apply if Niera the Queen escapes," Karasu said in a low voice. "You are a Chevalier whose Queen is in an unknown location. Red Shield is only concerned with Niera. You are not someone who serves her therefore you can escape and Red Shield will not make as much of a deal over it."

Joseph's dark gaze flickered to her pale blue eyes. "Niera is not my Queen, you're right. I don't have to follow her. But she is my friend. And without her and Yin Di, I will never be able to get Ahel back, nor free Kylia who too, is my friend – or an older sister more like it," he added, seemingly recalling a memory and he smiled faintly.

Karasu and Joseph held each other's gaze, standing opposite.

"So what do we do? What do I do to get you and the other two off this ship and out of our lives?" Karasu finally asked seriously.

"Convince the higher ups to let us go and that we will not give away any information concerning Red Shield to any other party," Joseph replied. "We've known about this agency since the moment it was created and we never interfered or sold the information to someone else. So why would now be any different?"

Karasu snorted softly and shook her head. "It isn't that easy. Red Shield is –"

She was cut off as Joseph suddenly held up his hand for silence. He looked distracted and Karasu frowned.

"What?" She demanded bluntly. "I was midway –"

"Shh!" Joseph hissed. "Can you hear that?"

Karasu reached out to smack his hand out of the way when she paused, feeling something strange on the cruiser. Another presence. It was equal to the presence of a Chevalier, but it was unknown to her. There was the faint sound of singing.

Karasu's skin turned to ice. Diva? But that was impossible.

"Who's singing?" She whispered.

Joseph did not answer. They stood in silence, listening.

_"London's burning, London's burning._

_Fetch the engines, fetch the engines._

_Fire fire, fire fire!_

_Pour of water, pour on water."_

Joseph gasped in horror.

"Damn! It's Freya!"

Karasu's eyes shot to him, confused. "Who?"

He darted around and past her, bringing out his hand guns before she could finish that one syllable. Gritting her teeth, she gripped her bow, strapped on her quiver of arrows and rushed after him, feeling her pulse quicken and nervousness pumped through her veins with adrenaline. Something was coming.

Who was Freya?

* * *

**A/N: The song 'London's Burning' is not mine. It is a nursery rhyme inspired by The Beatle's Tomorrow Never Knows**. **If you want more information on it then just type it into Google. **


	7. Chapter 6

**6 pages**

**A/N: And here is chapter 6. It is shorter than what I'd like but the next cut off part would be another...I dunno, 6+ pages perhaps? That'll probably be too much for a chapter on fanfic. Anyway, enjoy ^_^**

Chapter Six

Tony sat alone in one of the large rooms of the cruiser, sitting on a sofa with his booted feet up on a low table. His handgun rested on the table close to his feet. To anyone else, it looked like a normal handgun, but for Tony, it meant so much more. It was Kai's, handed down to Tony. It was more than just a handgun that was passed onto him. It was responsibility, and the feeling of being acknowledged, of being somewhere where he belonged and contributed.

The young man lowered the knife he was sharpening to his lap, and gazed at the handgun from behind his side fringe of dark blond hair. It had replaced the two handguns he had used previously, two that belonged to his parents.

Tony frowned slightly, his grip tightening around the handle of the knife. He did not think of his sister and parents much at all. That part of his past was buried. It seemed more like a nightmare. Just a bad dream. Over the past decade it seemed like he would never find Ianna and get his vengeance. There were rumours, and of ghostly sightings, but never any proof. Did she even exist? It was a thought that always lingered at the back of his mind.

However, he could not deny the hatred and anger in his heart. The horrific night still plagued his nightmares.

He rested his head back and closed his eyes. He could still hear the echoes of his sister's terrible, staggered screams, of the fire, the gun shots, snapping bones and his parents' shouts. He could still smell the stench of the Chiropteran's breath and the metal reek of blood, of burning timber and terror. He could still see it all when he closed his eyes, could still see the blood, the fragment of Sammy's yellow coat, her gory remains, his parents' mutilated bodies, the fire. Ianna's yellow eyes glowed in his mind's eye. The Demonic Angel with the flaming sword smiled once again in his memories. An Angel of destruction and death that followed only one being, one God – Ianna.

Ianna did exist. Her older sister was living proof of it. Although he did not show it, seeing Niera had been such a shock to him that he almost wanted to be sick. The only feature that stopped him from attacking her or fleeing was the fact that her eyes were purple, not yellow. They looked the same, but they were very different people.

Knowing of Ianna's existence and having it confirmed also felt like a relief. His heart no longer felt weighed down by doubt and hopelessness. He would have his chance to face the woman who murdered his parents. He would avenge them.

Tony could hear singing. It was in English, a refreshing change from having to translate everything in his head to Japanese.

"_London's burning, London's burning._

_Fetch the engines, fetch the engines._

_Fire fire, Fire fire!_

_Pour of water, pour on water."_

_More fire . . ._ Tony thought tiredly. It was only a British nursery rhyme in dedication to the Great Fire of London, but it was difficult to relate the tune to such a catastrophic event in history.

The voice was clear, surprisingly clear, as if the woman who sung it was in the very same room that he was in.

Tony's eyes flew open and he jolted up, grabbing his handgun and pointing it in front of him, bearing his knife. A very young looking woman stood on the other side of the table. She looked younger than him, standing at five feet. She wore a long black summer dress with her blond hair pulled back into a bun and styled with a feminine top hat. For a moment, Tony thought she held a cane, when he realised it was in fact a sheathed sword that tricked the eyes. And speaking of eyes, across hers was like a black, embroidered transparent bandanna, or a fabric mask without the holes for the eyes. Her eyes were closed – blind.

She wore a warped smile. Tony did not recognise her at all.

"Who are you?" Tony demanded, cocking his gun. Whoever this young woman was, she was not someone from Red Shield.

"You do not recognise me, little boy?" She sighed melodiously.

Tony's jaw clenched. He did not. "Drop the sword and put your hands behind your head. I am taking you into custody. You are not one of Red Shield's members."

The young woman's smile grew wider, too wide. A violent shiver wracked Tony's body. There was something wrong with this girl. He was only a human, but that did not mean he could not feel the disturbing instability of this young woman's presence. Dull terror bled through his veins and arteries from his heart. She placed her pale hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Don't you dare draw that sword," he snarled. "I will shoot."

"Will you?" She breathed, tightening her grip around the hilt. Tony's finger hovered over the trigger and she drew part of the silver blade free from its sheath.

_Shoot. Shoot her, damn it!_ He yelled internally. She had to be an enemy to be able to infiltrate Red Shield's HQ. Anyone to do so without Joel's permission was enemy. They had to be eliminated.

However, he hesitated. That sword . . .

Its surface was slick and shiny. Shiny with what?

_Oil . . ._ A silent part of his mind whispered.

Why oil?

_To make the fire . . ._

A sword writhed in flame.

Tony's eyes widened with horrific realisation. The Demonic Angel who burnt his home twelve years ago stood in front of him.

Ianna's Chevalier.

The emotions exploded in his chest at once: fury, hate, grief and fear.

"You!" He bellowed. He pulled the trigger with a bang. Bullet met sword with a sharp ping and the young woman twisted her sword completely out of its sheath. The twist turned into an upwards swing, cutting the table in half smoothly so the blade came up for Tony's torso.

Tony's body reacted fast while his mind still struggled to acknowledge what he had just realised. A Chevalier of Ianna herself was within Red Shield's Headquarters. This was a frightening disaster.

His body flipped up and back, missing the tip of the sword that would have otherwise sliced his torso in half from his stomach up to his neck.

The blade ripped through the cloth of the sofa instead and Tony landed lithely, his expression murderous but controlled, unlike his pounding heart.

"At last, you remember me," the young woman said with content.

"I will kill you," Tony hissed. "I will kill you for burning my home, for destroying the ordinary life that was meant for me!"

It was all so clear in his memories that he had tried so hard to bury. Now they rose like bubbles of oxygen rising through water – rising from the past he wanted to forget.

"But it was not me who destroyed it," she murmured.

Heart pounding in rage, Tony fired his gun in quick succession four times, all aiming for different parts of the woman's body: her knees, heart, sword arm and head.

She blocked them all with a sweeping arc of her sword and she leapt over the ruined sofa directly for him. He shot again, the bullet catching the tip of her sword. It was enough to throw the balance off her next swing and he swiped his knife across, his blade drawing a line of deep red across her cheek.

Her hand flashed out, catching him across the face with an inhuman backhanded slap, sending him skittering over the floor with her Chiropteran strength.

"You were a little boy the last time I saw you," she said delicately. "So weak, like a baby bird. Your voice now says differently."

Tony pulled himself back up to his feet. His vision swam from the force of her hit. He squinted up and across the room to her. She was facing the wall, and the deep cut across her cheek healed over, the flesh knitting itself back together to not even leave the faint line of a scar. His jaw clenched. Could he take her on? He was strong. He was the protégé of Red Shield.

"Do you think you are strong enough to defeat me?" She said softly, causing him to stiffen. How did she know he was thinking along those lines? "Don't be so full of yourself. You are just a human!"

She moved fast, frightfully fast towards him, sword held up and the tip of its blade was aimed directly for his head. Tony ducked, hearing the steel of the sword pierce the thick steel of the room's wall with ease. Her words were a grudging reminder, a fearful one that reminded him just how weak humans were against the Chiropteran. Her words brought his carefully concealed phobia of the Chiropteran back to the surface.

He loathed this woman for that.

Tony struck out, his fist catching her in the abdomen and he then kicked her shin, forcing her to her knees. He grabbed her wrist and spun around her, twisting her sword her grip so it clanged to the ground and he pushed her against the wall, before he darted back and away. Even though she was a Chevalier, she was still a woman and Tony was not the kind of man who would hit a woman easily.

It was suicide to fight a Chiropteran by himself, let alone fight a Chevalier by himself. He needed help. He needed help _now_.

He escaped into the dim corridor before throwing a wary glance behind him. The young woman smiled slightly and stood up. She was unaffected by his attack.

Tony ran down the corridor to the hall at the end. His breath came fast and he struggled to quieten and calm it. He was afraid. Any sane person would be. But he would never let that overrule him – not this time. This time he would fight.

Fragments of his past flashed through his mind, of a drawing eaten by fire, of his mother's heart crushed with a bare hand.

He threw another glance behind him. That woman could not follow him. She was blind. She would get lost and confused. But then how did she make it onto the ship in the first place? How did she aim her sword so well?

It was not just luck that made her aim so accurate.

"Do not try to hide," her voice echoed behind him. "I will find you either way."

Tony burst into the hall that was dimly lit like the corridor behind him, except it was slightly brighter here in the hall. It was a tiny thread of comfort, at least he could see, unlike her. However, that tiny thread of comfort was only tiny.

He spun around. The young woman walked in through the door and Tony fired his handgun. She jerked her head to miss the first bullet and then raised her sword to block the second, making it look effortless to Tony's frustration.

_She is blind for fuck's sake!_ He shouted internally, wanting to wring his hands in outrage. He was about to switch on the laser that was built into his handgun when he reassessed and decided against it. If she could block his bullets so easily with a sword, then what was there to say she would not do the same with a laser? She would probably angle the blade so his attack was reflected right back at him.

Tony tsked under his breath and put his handgun away. He would need to reload soon.

"I am very temped to transform into my Chiropteran appearance," the young woman breathed. "I will be able to see you then. I want to see how much you have grown."

So she was blind as a human but with sight as a Chiropteran?

The Demonic Angel was clear in his mind, flaming sword in hand.

_No! I don't want to see that. Not again!_

Tony strengthened his stance, keeping his eyes peeled. Where the hell was everyone?

She rushed forward again and swung wide. Her sword and his knife met with a loud clang and the repulsion force sent both of their arms swinging wide. He attacked and they seemingly danced around each other. He fought hard but the faint smile on the young woman's lips never faded. She was simply toying with him.

Their blades clashed together, sending sparks skittering off the metal and Tony almost held his breath. The spark would set the oil on the sword alight.

However, before he knew it, the sword was swiped out of the way and drawn back. Her smile faded all together.

"I am disappointed," she whispered. "Red Shield is poorly staffed."

Tony realised with a sinking heart that she was about to stab him through the gut.

There was a sudden bang that clapped through the hall. The young woman staggered forward and Tony's knife plunged into her abdomen. She gasped.

He drew the knife back, feeling her warm blood coat his hand and he jumped back a few steps, breathing hard and glancing over her shoulder.

Callum stood in another doorway, his handgun held up and pointing across at the young woman.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Callum growled. "But unlike you and your team, we use trust, not fear."

The young woman raised herself again, inhaling deeply and she pulled her hand away from her abdomen. The wound healed over and she flexed her shoulders where she had been shot. That too, healed over.

"The end result is still loyalty," she said, exhaling. "The truth is that you cannot inspire loyalty as well as we can."

"_We_ beg to differ," Callum said with a tight smile of contempt.

"Really?" She said dully. "How far do the arms of Red Shield stretch?"

"Very far," Tony snarled.

"But how deep? How deep into a government does your influence extend?" She said quietly.

Callum threw something over his head at the young woman. "We use friendship, not control. But someone like you will never understand that." He ran forwards and so did Tony, swiping their knives out and the grenade exploded over the young woman's head. She leapt up and out of the smoke.

"You know nothing about us," she whispered.

The two men attacked together and Tony felt his confidence grow. They may both be human men, but they were skilled experts in combat. Two were enough, surely. They drove her down the length of the hall to the southern end.

She jumped back and turned her head to the left, as if she was listening to something.

"Ah," she sighed softly. "They are coming. That is not good."

Tony and Callum exchanged a glance and the young woman slid up to them in one smooth motion, swiping her leg beneath their feet and landed them both on their backs. The wind rushed from their lungs and they stared up in dismay. The Chiropteran moved too fast. No matter how fast a human could move and react, it was still not enough to match a Chiropteran.

She raised her sword and Tony moved to kick it from her grasp. He only got as far as thinking of doing that when the sound of chains clinked through the air. The young woman moved and she tripped with the motions of the chains that were weighed with a black sickle blade. She was caught in a web of black chains.

Tony and Callum scrambled to their feet. The young woman tsked under her breath and the two men looked to the side.

The tall man with long white hair held the other end of the confusingly structured and long chain. His expression was composed and cold like before. His eyes showed faint anger, but that was it.

"Yin Di," the young woman said indifferently. "The one person who uses a similar method to me."

Yin Di's expression remained passive. "Freya," he greeted coldly. "What made you think you could come aboard this ship and escape alive?"

Her faintly amused expression returned. "The fact that you will protect these weak humans."

Tony frowned. And then he brought in a sharp breath when he noticed something in Freya's free hand. The control button to an explosion. There was a bomb aboard the ship.

The other two men noticed it in unison.

"Don't!" Callum and Tony yelled at the same time Yin Di darted in front of them.

The entire southern wall of the hall exploded violently, blinding them with light and dust, beating them with a flash heat and rain of debris. Tony and Callum were thrown back off their feet from the force of the explosion that boomed through the air and reverberated through the foundations of the vessel.

The sound of the explosion temporarily deafened Tony and when the effects of the blast died down, he tried to get back up again. His hearing was muffled, his body was shaking and his vision was blurred by the dust and smoke that hung in the air. The fire alarm rang loudly and the water sprinklers came on immediately.

Staggering to his feet and looking around him, he saw the entire room was littered with sharp shards of metal and other rubbish. Fire crackled. Callum beside him was coughing and groaning. The explosion should have knocked them out and injured them badly, but they were fine, save for a few large splinters, dizzy head and shocked body. His legs shook uneasily.

Tony turned his attention ahead of him. Yin Di fell to his knees, bringing in sharp and halted breaths, pulling out shards of metal the size of harpoons from his body. Blood pooled beneath him. He took the damage meant for Tony and Callum. That was what Freya meant a moment ago. She had planned that attack.

Tony dropped down beside Yin Di, grasping his shoulder. "Yin Di! Are you –?!"

"Freya!"

They all looked towards the source of the furious roar. Joseph stood on the other side of the hall, holding one handgun out that was aimed directly at Freya's head. His arm and hand was as still as a statue.

Freya had also been hit by her own explosion, but it was intended, and her state was not as bad as Yin Di's. She staggered free from his chains, pulling the jagged blades of metal from her body and picked up her sword. Her hair had come lose, lacking its stylish top hat. It was perfectly straight and of medium length. The breeze from the sea caused it to flutter about her face. The mask across her eyes was gone. Her eyes were open. They were a glazed over grey.

Yin Di's eyes were also grey, but while his were clear, hers were not. Indeed she was blind.

"Where is Ahel?" Joseph demanded, his expression terrible. "Where is Kylia?"

Freya giggled gently, her only verbal reply, and leapt out of the hall that lacked a southern wall, over the fire and into the sea beyond. Joseph cursed and shot forward, leaving behind a faint trail of lilac light. It was rare that Tony ever saw it.

"No, Joseph!" Yin Di rasped, struggling to sit up straighter. His wounds were healing but not fast enough. Joseph either did not hear him or ignored him. There was only one focus, one goal in his dark gaze, and nothing would stop him. The man leapt out into the darkness after Freya.

Had it all been a trick? If Yin Di were not injured so heavily, he could stop Joseph. But he could not stop Joseph, and so Joseph was now gone.

"Yin Di!"

"Tony! Callum!"

Two women seemingly materialised into the hall from their speed – Niera and Karasu. Karasu rushed over to them while Niera went immediately to Yin Di's side. Her expression was pained.

Yin Di took her outstretched hand and moved it away from him, shaking his head. "Follow Joseph. I will stay behind," he wheezed. "If Ianna gets what she wants, it's over."

Niera's expression fell but her eyes hardened. She looked so much like Ianna, but Ianna could never be capable of pulling expressions of caring and affection.

She touched his face gently, an action that conveyed more than what met the eye, before she then stood and gripped her sheathed sword firmly. She glanced down at Tony, Callum and Karasu. Her gaze was hard. It was ancient, instilling something within Tony he never knew he had. He was not sure if it was fear, respect, or something else – or all of them combined.

"Yin Di will speak in my place," she said, her voice like ice. "My words are now his words."

"Wait, where are you going?" Callum croaked.

"To save my stubborn friend," she muttered.

Niera disappeared into the night after Joseph who pursued Freya. Tony stared after her. His hands clenched in disbelief and doomed determination.

"Damn!" He swore.

In the end, Red Shield had been dragged into the conflict of these ancient Queens and their Chevaliers.

Everyone else rushed into the hall and chaos ensued. They put out the fire and began what would most likely be a very confused and heated discussion as to what to do next.

* * *

**A/N: Reminder of all the OCs and who they belong to.  
**

**Karasu Chi - Forgotten64**

**Tony - User 627**

**Joseph - SaudraeOfSunday**

**Victoria - Captain Kuroyuki  
**

**Freya - TwixyReitz**

**Niera, Ianna, Ahel and Yin Di - me (Ayyarin)**

**Hwayeom - Nalael**

**Annabel - I-Write-and-Read-Stuff**

**Kylia - FreedomFighter94**

**All of the other characters belong to Blood+, except for Hong Zhi who is a real figure in Chinese history.**


	8. Chapter 7

**6 pages**

**A/N: Phew! Finally have chap 7 out. Sorry I didn't bring anything out last weekend... I was ill with food poisoning and also with trying to sort out paper work.  
**

Chapter Seven

"What the fuck happened?!" Kai exclaimed, looking mortified. The fires were doused and the cruiser went into lockdown. Everyone had gathered in the hall next door to the one that had been destroyed by Freya. Julia and David worried over their son who brushed their hands away. Hibiki fussed around Tony who seemed to be unusually quiet.

"We were attacked by a Chiropteran," Callum croaked. "A Chevalier I think. She targeted Tony."

Tony's eyes flickered back up from the ground, some sharpness returning to his dazed gaze. Yin Di watched them all with calculating eyes, now fully recovered from the horrendous injuries sustained from protecting the two humans. Humans were pathetic creatures, but he could not turn a blind eye to them. There was good in his heart.

"Why did she attack him?" Hibiki demanded.

"Because he has encountered her before," Saya growled. "Tony is the only member of Red Shield who has encountered these unknown Chiropteran. She would have come here, drawn to him."

"Drawn to his hate and anger," Yin Di said dryly. The others looked to him, taking in his torn and blood-soaked clothing. It was the normal appearance for a true Chevalier, he had come to discover. A true Chevalier protected and used their body as a shield. They endured the onslaught of violence for the one they vowed to protect.

Yin Di's cold and silently angry gaze fell on Tony. "You have been unable to let go of the past and your hate and anger for Ianna has drawn her Chevalier to you." He recalled what Niera had said. The boy Ianna meant in Niera's vision had been this boy.

Tony's eyes flashed with his own anger. "You are blaming me for this?"

"Yes," Yin Di snapped sharply, enough to make them all flinch. "Ianna and her Chevaliers have never been able to track Niera, Joseph or I down because we have kept our emotions and presences in check, sealed away in their entirety. You do not show your emotions but you heart weeps and shouts as loud as a child would when he wails after falling over. You may not have gone looking for her actively, for which I praise you, but your heart is always searching. It is obvious to us Chiropteran of old."

"That is not true," Hibiki protested. "I cannot feel anything. Neither can Kanade, right, nee-chan?"

Kanade looked away solemly and Hibiki's eyes widened. "You . . . you can feel it?" Hibiki whispered.

Kanade sighed and nodded. "Yes, I can. I didn't understand what it at first was but now that Yin Di has pointed it out, it is very clear, if quiet."

Hibiki's expression fell and Saya placed a comforting hand on her niece's shoulder. She looked up at Yin Di. Her eyes were hard and Yin Di felt himself approving internally. Saya was indeed a true Queen. She had that same aura.

"You are too harsh on Tony, Yin Di," she said darkly. "You and your two companions can also be at as much fault. Your appearances have been a hard enough reminder as it is to Tony of his past. How can you expect someone to block out their emotions under such circumstances? We are not all as cold as you."

Yin Di smirked faintly and folded his arms. "If Red Shield had not taken us into your custody then the young man would not have been reminded of such a past," he countered calmly.

"So who's to blame then?" Karasu growled.

"No one is to blame," Joel cut in. "It was all simply extremely bad luck. How could any of us have known that circumstances would make a turn for the worst?"

"Fine," muttered Kai.

"What happened?" Victoria questioned seriously. "The full story if you please."

Therefore Tony and Callum explained what happened, from when Freya snuck up on Tony to when Niera disappeared after Joseph. They described the fight Tony had with Freya and how Callum rushed to his friend's aid. They explained how Yin Di appeared to immobilise Freya and then of how he defended them with his body when the entire southern wall exploded, allowing her to escape and drawing Joseph after her.

"So Niera and Joseph have left without our authorisation," David stated bluntly. Yin Di rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I assure you, they will not give away any information concerning Red Shield," Yin Di said. "However, if Ianna asks him to give her information in exchange for Ahel and Kylia's freedom, then he will comply."

"That is comforting to know," Karasu muttered sarcastically.

"Then what the hell do we do?" Kai demanded. "Despite what Joel has said, in my opinion, this is all because of you and your two friends. Now, we have been dragged into your fight, whether we like it or not."

Yin Di exhaled slowly with a soft sigh. Unfortunately, Kai was right. Freya had come aboard Red Shield's Head Quarters without permission, attacked two of their members and caused destruction.

"First off," David began. "We need to leave Hong Kong immediately. Our location is now known by the enemy. We cannot risk staying here any longer."

The others nodded in agreement.

"But what do we do with Yin Di?" Kanade asked carefully. "We cannot leave him behind or expel him so easily."

"I am not your enemy," Yin Di said. "Your enemy is my enemy."

"United against a common enemy," Haji murmured.

Yin Di met his eyes in agreement. "Joseph has lost himself to his emotions and stubborn determination. Niera pursues him. It is likely that Joseph will fall into a trap, hence why Niera has gone after him to stop him. However, if things make a turn for the worst then she will need my aid. I can follow her."

"How can you do that?" Tony asked grudgingly.

Yin Di's eyes flickered between the young man and then amongst the three other Chevaliers. "Chevaliers feel a constant pull towards their Queen. No matter where they are or how far they are separated, a Chevalier will always find their Queen once again."

His words were met by silence. The Chevaliers had a glint of understanding within their eyes.

"We cannot let you leave so easily to follow your Queen," Callum said.

"Then Red Shield will come with me," Yin Di stated. "If you think I will sit in a cell upon this ship while Niera and Joseph fight Ianna, then you are sorely mistaken."

Lewis scoffed. "You think Red Shield will follow you as if you led us?"

"Kai said so himself that you are now involved in our battle, since Freya has attacked your own," Yin Di said. "I have no intention of trying to lead Red Shield. That is led by Joel and Saya. I would be a fool to challenge a Queen on that position."

_And besides,_ he thought. _I have my own organisations to lead. One is enough._

Yin Di sighed again. "I just want to return to Niera's side," he said quietly. "I would much rather that we worked together, rather than against each other."

They discussed what to do and how to approach the current situation. It seemed to take a thousand years and with every passing minute, Yin Di could feel impatience and concern rising in his heart, praying that Niera would be alright and feeling that old and familiar uncertainty when she did not stand nearby to him.

In the end, Joel extended his hand out towards Yin Di. "From this night forth, we will represent a united front against Ianna and those that follow and serve her. However, should you do anything to make us suspect betrayal, then we will turn against you."

Yin Di smiled with mirth. It was fair, and should Red Shield turn against Niera, then they will retaliate with the same threat that Red Shield presented to them. He took Joel's hands. "Agreed."

* * *

Yin Di stood at the head of the ship, watching the eastern horizon begin to change from black to navy blue. That blue then went through a multitude of colours: purple, red, orange and then yellow. The sun rose over the horizon. It was always faster when closer to the equator. The sun rose quickly and set quickly, all at around six in the morning and evening. In the north lands of Europe, the times for the sun to rise and set varied drastically depending on the time of the year.

He stood alone and in silence, letting the wind ruffle his white hair, thinking of the discussion he just had with the rest of Red Shield. Yin Di felt relieved that he and Red Shield were now on the same side. Of course, it was only because they shared a common enemy, but it was a comforting thought that the powerful organisation of Red Shield would not be their enemy, in addition to Ianna.

However, he felt pleased that Red Shield would not be their enemy. Niera had enough to deal with as it was. She already fought against a powerful enemy that matched the forces of Niera and Ahel combined. Although Yin Di forever kept it hidden, his fear for Niera never ceased to diminish in his heart. Every day he feared that Ianna would find them and attack them. Every day he feared that Niera may be unlucky enough to not move out of the way of Ianna's sword. Every day, he feared what would happen should Ianna's blood and sword pierce Niera's heart.

He would die before Niera would. That was how it was supposed to be when it came to Chevaliers and their Queens. A Chevalier was their Queen's shield. He could not bear the thought of Niera's death. The thought sent agonising pain through his heart at the thought of losing her. His love for her was unlike anything he knew he could experience. It was nothing like the love he felt for his fiancé five hundred years ago.

Yin Di closed his eyes briefly in sorrow. _I am selfish,_ he thought silently. He would not let Niera die before him. But, could he put Niera through what Ahel went through?

He recalled that fateful night, remembered the fight and Ahel's scream of grief as Ianna killed Hwayeom. The devastation in her emerald eyes was like a blade through Yin Di's own heart. Would Niera react the same way if Yin Di died before her eyes as Hwayeom did to Ahel?

Just the idea alone made Yin Di wince in despairing pain, gripping the railing of the deck.

He turned his head in the direction of Niera's pull. That pull was always there. There was always the longing to return to his Queen's side.

Red Shield's HQ now sailed in the same direction. It was north. They would sail up the South China Sea, past Taiwan, into the East China Sea and then into the Yellow Sea that was in between the two Koreas and Qingdao.

Yin Di frowned.

"_Don't frown, Yin Di, otherwise you will get a frown mark." _Niera's little criticism echoed in his ears from centuries of repetition. He smiled faintly.

He looked north. Joseph was falling into a trap. Freya's appearance was for two reasons, he sensed. One: to antagonise Tony and Red Shield. Two: to lure Joseph out of Niera's and Yin Di's protection. It was so obvious, but Yin Di could not prevent it. He kicked himself mentally in anger. Joseph would now fall into Ianna's clutched unless Niera managed to track him down before he fell in too deep.

Niera was strong, but she could not fight Ianna _and_ her Chevaliers alone.

Yin Di's grip on the railing tightened.

"Wait for me," he whispered.

* * *

Joseph was only focussed on one thing – and that was pursuing Freya. He had had it. This time, he had finally lost his patience. He wanted capture Freya and torture Ahel's location out of her. His hate for her, and for Ianna and Annabel knew no bounds. He would murder them all if he had the chance and the strength.

He was not a man who would hit a woman, but Ianna and her Chevaliers were an exception. They were monsters which he hated with all his might. They took the most important person in his life away from him. For a hundred years he had endured not being by his Queen's side. But it was only so long a Chevalier could remain away from their Queen. He felt like he was going insane, slowly, with every passing year.

Vaguely he was aware that following Freya across China like this was probably the most stupid thing that he would ever do. His Chiropteran instinct told him it was a trap to lure him out of Niera's radar and escape Yin Di's mafia's reach. He would fall into Ianna's web.

But Joseph was tired. Tired of fighting and losing, all the time. Just when it seemed like they would be able to find Ahel and Kylia, something happened to make them slip through his fingers. His patience had been running dangerously thin, and finally, it had snapped.

Freya had made her appearance. This time, he was not going to lose her. This time, he was determined to stay one step behind her for surely she would lead him to Ianna, and therefore to finding out Ahel's location.

Joseph appreciated Niera's and Yin Di's protection and concern, but it was time for him to take matters into his own hands. Niera wanted to free Ahel as much as Joseph did, but it was not the same. The bond between a Queen and her Chevaliers was stronger than the bond between Queens . . . sisters.

He kept his dark eyes ahead.

"I will not lose!" Joseph hissed under his breath.

* * *

Niera travelled far and fast through the changing landscape of China. She swept through the thick and humid hills of the south, darting over the paddy fields where farmers planted their rice. She soared above the mountains, through the bamboo groves, startling pandas that sat lazily amongst their stalks of bamboo. She glided over barren plains, feeling the air cool the further north she went.

Worrying thoughts began to pass through her mind. The north held many memories.

She continued to travel, struggling to keep herself going as the days passed. Unlike the Chevaliers, the Queens still had to eat, drink and sleep. No matter what bloodline of Chiropteran a Queen was, they still had that burden.

Niera ground her teeth together, practically flying over the miles in a matter of seconds. But gradually she was slowing, and as she slowed, Joseph's presence drew further and further away.

_I have to keep going! _She thought fiercely. _I must not stop. I must keep going!_

She could not let Ianna have what she wanted. She could not bear to see that same devastation on Ahel's face again. But if Ianna managed to catch Joseph, then Ahel would once again weep for a second time.

Ianna brought nothing but misery.

Niera's grip around her sword tightened. Ianna took away the man she called her father. It was so early in her life, and already she had tasted the bitterness of grief and the sourness of rage and hate. Ianna loved to bring misery and hate to others, enjoyed playing cruel games with them before she then killed them off with boredom or once they had fulfilled their purpose.

_I will not let her have what she wants,_ Niera thought darkly.

Day sank back into night. Niera's lungs burned for oxygen, her muscles ached and she blinked hard, trying to keep her eyes open. In the end, she could not go on further and she staggered to a stop, leaning against a tree, gasping for breath.

Her heart sank in wailing ruin as she felt the last of Joseph's presence disappear from her awareness. Even with his emotions now unchecked, he was still hard to track and sense.

She had lost him.

"Damn it!" She shouted in frustration, slamming her fist against the tree. It cracked easily under her blow, sending the upper half of it crashing away into another tree, sending it tumbling down.

Her Chiropteran instincts made her look up, feeling Chiropteran nearby. She felt their killing intents waft over to her with the stench of Ianna's blood in their veins. From within the shadow of the night, their monstrous forms lumbered through the undergrowth towards her, and their beady red eyes glowed behind the gloom.

If Ianna's Chiropteran were here then that meant that they were there to stop Niera. Her fears that this was a trap set for Joseph were confirmed. But also, Niera felt a small measure of hope. She was getting close to Ianna, and therefore to Joseph.

Niera straightened, breathing deeply to quench her parched lungs of air. Her eyes glowed purple and she drew her sword, listening to the metal sing as it came free from its scabbard. She ran her fingers along the edge of the blade, feeling the familiar pain of the metal slice her skin. Her blood dribbled onto the blade and trickled down its length.

"Nothing will stand in my way," she whispered.

The Chiropteran howled, and she lunged.

* * *

Kylia was alone in the great underground chamber. It was dark, save for the tiny strain of moonlight that seeped in from a gap somewhere high up.

It had been so long since she had last decided to look around her. What had been the point? She could not escape these chains that bound her. She was a spider trapped within her own web, the web being the chains in which a horrible current of energy ran through them, keeping her Chiropteran abilities in check. Like this, she was no stronger than a human – she was weak.

It was horrifically infuriating.

How long had she been bound like this? She no longer knew. But she knew that decades had passed. Her white hot fury had now cooled to become as cold as ice. No matter how violent or dark her bipolar self was, it could not break the chains that held her prisoner.

She closed her dark blue eyes in sadness, still trapped within the memories of the fight where everything went wrong. Hwayeom died, Niera and Yin Di took Joseph away, and Ahel and Kylia were captured by Ianna and her Chevaliers. The sounds of the battle still rang in her ears.

Her soul forever mourned Hwayeom's death. He had been like a jolly older brother, teasing Kylia's comforting and sympathetic nature. He brought such a wonderful smile to Ahel's face.

Ahel's scream of grief echoed in her head, cracking the image of Ahel's happiness in Kylia's memories. Pain shot through Kylia's heart.

Where was Ahel? Kylia's fear for her Queen surged for a moment, squeezing her heart with the terror that Ianna may have already killed Ahel.

However, when Kylia calmed her pounding and panicked heart, she could still feel the pull towards her Queen. It was a small breath of relief. At least Ahel was alive. As long as she was alive, there was still the chance that Ahel could be freed.

Once again, Kylia prayed and hoped silently that Joseph, Niera and Yin Di would manage to free them. However, that depended if those three were even alive still. If they were not, then that meant it was up to Kylia to try to discover how to escape. But in all this time of being chained in the dark, she had not been able to think of a way to break her bindings. Ianna was far too intelligent for that.

On the other hand, if the three were alive then Ahel had a chance of escaping. Kylia wanted to escape as well. She could not deny the terror in her heart of being killed by Ianna. It was her worst fear, one that made the goose bumps rise on her skin and shiver in fright. But if it was between her or Ahel, she would want Ahel to be freed. Ahel would always come first – always.

It was always the same thoughts going through her mind. A never ending cycle, like a nightmare being relived over and over again. She was tired of it.

However, something made her turn her gaze up. For the first time in a long time, her dark blue eyes focused on something in front of her. She looked through the curls of her dark blond hair. Kylia's hair was long, but looked short, coming to her shoulders because of the ringlets. Her dark gothic dress hung in rags around her slim body of five foot six. A long time must have passed indeed for her dress to be in such a state.

In front of her stood a young woman of similar height and shape. She wore a smart suit, trousers instead of a skirt and her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun, enhancing her sharp and elegant features. Vaguely, Kylia noted that she had never seen that sort of fashion before. It certainly did not look like something the people would wear during the early nineteen hundreds, for that was the time when Ahel and Kylia were caught.

How much time had passed?

The woman before her stared across at Kylia with an emotionless expression. Her yellow eyes glimmered in the faint moonlight, making her white skin shine like pearl.

Kylia's chest tightened and her muscles tensed in fear. The Queen stood before her.

Ianna.

Kylia's eyes narrowed in old hate, remaining silent. She could not speak even if she wanted to, for the lower half of her face was sealed in a metal mask.

"Kylia," Ianna spoke, her low voice shattering the silence of the vast chamber. It was like a violent slap across Kylia's cheek.

"Joseph will be coming soon," Ianna murmured.

Kylia's eyes widened in hope and horror. Hope because finally someone would be coming to Ahel's rescue. And horror because Joseph was falling right into Ianna's hands.

Why now? Surely after all this time Ianna, Freya and Annabel had worked hard to keep Ahel and Kylia hidden away carefully. So why now do they allow Joseph to finally reach them?

"I will make him choose," Iana continued quietly. "Between you and Ahel. You will know the result of that choice, won't you?"

Ianna held her gaze until Kylia had to look away in devastation. Joseph would choose Ahel. Kylia would do the same.

However, the result was that Kylia would die, and Ianna would have what she wanted. Ianna would be hitting two birds with one stone. There was no victory in this for Niera and Ahel.

Kylia's jaw clenched.

_Damn it, Joseph! _She thought in defeat. _Why couldn't you be patient? What good is it to free Ahel in exchange for your freedom and giving Ianna what she wants? We achieve nothing that way! You hot-headed idiot of a womaniser! _

Ianna turned her back on Kylia and Kylia wanted to scream. The chains clanked as she tried desperately to bring out her true Chiropteran form. Nothing came to her.

"It is futile, Kylia," Ianna said, her voice dull, yet she turned her head back slightly and a dark smile danced at the corners of her lips. "Joseph is a naive man."

Kylia felt her heart sink in hopelessness at Ianna's last utterance, before the Queen faded back into the shadows. The threat behind her words was clear.

Ahel would be freed – and killed immediately after. Ianna would make Joseph believe she would keep to her word. And then she will betray it.

Kylia squeezed her eyes shut. She had to do something.

**A/N: I don't know if I will be able to get another chapter out next weekend as this week is going to be so hectic. But after this coming week, I will finally be on my holiday so hopefully I will be able to update more often :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**10 pages**

**A/N: Man I'm so tired! But I still managed to get this chapter out on time! And I believe at least three of my readers have a birthday around this weekend so happy birthday to them ^_^ I'm finally on my holiday so if I'm lucky, I'll be able to write this story more frequently and update more often. And as requested by SaudraeOfSunday, I have decided to make my chapters longer again as this one is 10 pages. Though once again, I will probably still alternate between 5-10 pages depending on what's going on in that chapter.  
**

Chapter Eight

_Joseph handed the last pouch of coins to the final family of the poverty stricken town. _

"_Thank you so much!" The mother of the family wept with gratitude. "You are an angel from the heavens. How can we ever repay you?"_

"_Well," Joseph hummed thoughtfully. "You could allow me to take your beautiful daughter out for dinner."_

_A passer-by – who also happened to be a friend of Joseph's – cuffed him across the back of his head._

"_Are you an idiot?" He criticised. "Now isn't the time for a comment like that!"_

"_Aww," Joseph laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "My apologies. I hope you and your family will have a better life now."_

_The family, seemingly unoffended by his previous comment, thanked Joseph again and watched him leave with his companion, Jake, who was a few years his senior, which put Jake at thirty-one. The two men strolled down the dusty road, tilting their hats against the scorching sun. Wooden houses and shops lined the street on either side and despite the town's rundown appearance, the people within seemed happy with Joseph's presence. His presence meant they would have money to eat._

"_So who did you steal from this time?" Jake asked, sounding bored as usual._

_Joseph placed his hands at the back of his head and grinned in triumph. "The Campbells."_

_Jake stumbled in shock. The Campbells were the wealthiest family in the region. Once Jake had recovered his posture, he stared at Joseph in dismay. "You stole from _them_?" He exclaimed in dismay. "Are you insane?!"_

_Joseph pointed at himself. "Who do you think I am, Jake?"_

"_Right," Jake said dryly. "The legendary bandit of the Wild West, Joseph Elliot."_

"_Damn right I am," Joseph agreed, punching the air. "It was a piece of cake. Their security was so slack! And they had a ton of stuff. I think I'll go back there to get some more for the people . . . after all, it all belongs to us commoners anyway."_

_Jake gripped his shoulder, stopping them in the dry dirt track. "Joseph, you have to stop taking all these ridiculous gambles, please. I know you're doing a good thing for the people, but sooner or later you're going to get yourself killed. Do not make me watch my friend get shot before my eyes," he said softly, an underlying tone of pleading within his voice._

_Joseph shrugged his friend's hand off. "You worry too much, Jake," he said lightly, clapping Jake's back. "I will be fine. Now, if you will excuse me. I have another mansion to plunder."_

_He led his bay horse from the stables and mounted the magnificent beast. Jake stepped back, chuckling in defeat and shaking his head._

"_This streak of good luck won't last, Joseph," Jake warned. "One day, the authorities will catch you and make you pay. And when that day comes, don't come running to me."_

_Joseph smirked. "When that day comes, you can say to me 'I told you so'."_

"_I am not that spiteful."_

"_No, you are not," Joseph agreed. "Well, until we meet again then."_

_Jake inclined his head and Joseph did the same, before he urged his bay out of the village at a steady walk. Once outside the boundaries, he spurred his horse into a gallop. The wind blew his long black hair back. The curls of his hair caught the dust, making it ripple with changing colours between black and the golden brown of sand. The desert land of America stretched out before him and from horizon to horizon. The blue sky was open with no clouds that could act as barriers. _

_He was completely free._

_But not everyone was as lucky as he was. Joseph went from town to town, village to village, stealing from the rich who robbed the poor, and then returned the money back to the poor who originally owned it. He truly despised the corrupt and the powerful. And they hated him equally, for he was the only man in the area who was able to take the money back and return it to the poor. They could not catch him. They never would for he was far too skilled for that. He laughed at their frustration._

_However, Jake's warning did make him worry slightly. One day, his luck would indeed run out, but that would not be for a very long time yet. Joseph grinned. Jake had nothing to be worried about. Joseph was the best bandit in the Wild West. No one could catch him._

_Weeks passed and he continued with his moral duty. Never did he get tired of it. It made him feel worthy and valued. It brought him unimaginable happiness to see the joy in the eyes of the commoners that he helped. It made him feel accomplished._

_On the evening of one day, he walked into the town where Jake lived. He strolled alongside his horse, holding the bridle lightly but with a guiding touch. Something caught his eyes and he looked towards a dry and barren tree. A figure sat against it, covered in a rag that hid the figure's body and head, shrouding the face in shadow. _

Another beggar,_ Joseph thought sadly. He approached the figure._

"_Do you need money?" He asked._

_The figure slowly raised their head. Joseph's eyes widened slightly upon realising it was a young woman. She blinked, as if confused by the question. The sun must have scorched her head. Starvation made her slow._

_Joseph grinned and held out a small pouch of coins towards her. "Here. You look thin so use this money to buy yourself some food."_

_The woman did not take out her hand so he dropped it. That was enough to make her hands flash out and catch the pouch with both hands. _

"_Don't worry about feeling guilty for taking the money without working for it," Joseph said lightly. "The money belongs to everyone equally. And you look like you need it. Have a good evening, little miss, and be careful."_

_He turned away from her. He vaguely noted that his horse seemed restless, but he dismissed it._

"_Wait," she croaked, causing him to pause and look back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Why," she whispered. "Why do you show me such an act of kindness? You do not even know who I am."_

_Joseph shrugged. "Just because I do not know you doesn't mean I don't have to show you some kindness. The world lacks so much of it."_

_The woman stared at him, her lips parted slightly in dismay. He must have been the first person to ever show her kindness. Her eyes were yellow._

That's unusual,_ he thought briefly._

_Joseph waved back at her as he continued on. "Take care of yourself, little lady. It is dangerous for a woman to be out alone."_

_He left her behind. He showed generosity to others by returning their money to them, but that was as far as he went. There was not enough time to help the poor get their lives back together. The money could do that for him. He was just the delivery boy, in a sense._

_Joseph entered the town and saw people go about their business, finishing up for the evening. They smiled and waved at him, and he returned the gesture. He was looking forward to drinking with Jake this evening. There were a lot of stories to tell and share._

_He led his bay to the stables and then went in search of his friend, thinking of his travels. His thoughts strayed, before being yanked violently back by a scream. He spun around, and all hell broke loose._

_Men in disguised uniforms leapt out of bars and over rooftops, firing their guns at the people of the town. The citizens ran in panic and confusion, screaming and shouting. Some fell in time with the bangs of guns. They fell, their eyes open and blood pooling beneath them._

_Joseph absorbed the explosion of action with horror. He recognised the uniform. They belonged to the authorities. Jake's warning rang in his head._

"One day, the authorities will catch you and make you pay."

No, no! Why does this have to happen?_ Had his luck run out so soon already? But he was only twenty-nine! Were these people dying because of him?_

"_What are you doing, Joseph!?"_

_Joseph turned to the source of the shout. Jake came running over to him, shooting an officer in the face, blowing his head from his shoulders completely in a gory mess._

"_It's an ambush! Get the hell out of here!" Jake yelled._

_Joseph pulled out his handguns. "Moron! I am not a coward!" He shot more officers, watching them crash to the ground. Everyone was dying around him. _

_How could this happen?! Why were innocent people being punished for something they did not do? All he wanted was to return to them what was rightfully theirs. And now they were being killed for it. They did nothing wrong!_

Is this my fault? _He thought in devastated realisation. Had he pushed the rich too far to breaking point?_

"_Damn it, Joseph!" Jake screamed. "They are here to kill you. Get your sorry ass out of this place before I shoot you myself!"_

_Joseph shot an officer that was about to shoot Jake from behind. "Bastard!" Joseph boomed. "Get your own ass out of here before telling me what to do! I am the better fighter, always have been! We can handle this together!"_

"_Joseph!"_

_Jake's sudden change in tone stilled Joseph's heart for a moment. He watched in terrible horror as Jake darted in front of him at the same time Joseph heard a single shot that sounded clearer above all others. Joseph's eyes widened in horrible realisation. Jake's body jerked and he fell back into Joseph's open arms. _

_Joseph brought in a strangled gasp. Jake had been shot through the chest, through the heart. He had taken the bullet meant for Joseph._

_Joseph lowered Jake's body to the ground and shook his shoulders violently. "Jake! Jake! Get up, God damn it! Get up! Jake!"_

_Jake's lifeless eyes stared back up at him. His friend's blood spread beneath him. It was warm and sticky on Joseph's hands. Its metallic stench filled his nostrils. _

_Dead? He was dead already? It was so fast, too fast! Jake, he . . . he did not even get to say 'I told you so'._

_Joseph ground his teeth together as tears blurred his vision. This was not supposed to happen. Why? Why was it that in this world, whoever did something good was always punished for it? Why did God punish the weak and those that sought justice? Why did he reward the corrupt?!_

_It was so unfair._

"Life is cruel and unfair, Joseph," _his father had once said. _"Never forget that."

_Everything after that felt like a blur, a numb nightmare. Joseph stood, leaving his friend dead on the floor. His boots were stained in Jake's blood, painting the street with bloody boot marks as Joseph fought like a madman. What did he fight for? He fought for everything yet nothing at the same time. He fought in fury and grief, desperation to try and save those that were left. But eventually he became overrun. They twisted his handguns from his grip, forced him to the ground where he tasted dirt. The town was massacred and deserted._

_Only the dead inhabited the town now. Days passed and their bodies began to rot in the sun, filling the air with the reek of death. Joseph was locked in a prison cell until the order for his execution came. He felt numb. However, his hate and rage seethed within his soul. The faces of the dead haunted his mind. Jake's lifeless gaze continued to stare at him from behind his closed eyelids. _

_He wanted revenge. Justice._

_The authorities bound a black cloth around his eyes and led him outside. The air was cool and damp with rain that fell steadily from the grey sky. Thunder rumbled above him._

How ironic,_ he thought bitterly. _The heavens weep on the day of my execution.

_They tied him to a post so his back faced the pole of wood, hands behind his back. It was only a matter of moments now before they shot him. The firing squad would be standing just a few metres in front of him._

_Joseph wept silently behind the cloth that bound his eyes, feeling the salty tears soak into the fabric. He did not want to die. He could not die like this. Where was the justice?_

"_Any last words, Joseph Elliot of the Wild West?"_

_His teeth clenched. "You will not get away with this," he hissed. Even if he died, he swore on everything he had left that he would come back to haunt them._

"_Unlikely."_

_His heart screamed._

"_Ready. Set. Fire!"_

_The bullets pummelled into his body. There was an overwhelming flash of agony, before followed by darkness._

_Joseph floated in darkness that was filled was despair. Was this death?_

No . . . _a part of his mind whispered. He was cold, he was in pain, and he could not move his limbs. He felt so tired, so sorrowful. The tears ran down his cheeks._

_The tears were rain._

_He blinked slowly. Joseph could see from behind the veil of tears. He lay in the mud in a place that was empty of everything. How much time had passed since the firing squad shot him? Where had they dumped his dying body to decay?_

_Slowly, he was dying. He could feel his consciousness slipping away from him with the blood that flowed out of his body like a leaking dam. He could not hear anything, nor could he feel anything save for the fading pain within his body. He could not breathe as the blood of his veins and arteries flooded his lungs. Gradually, he drowned within it._

I don't want to die . . ._ he thought in despair. He wanted revenge and justice. He wanted to live._

Jake . . ._If only he had listened to his friend._

_A figure stood over him. Had she only just arrived? Or had she been there for a while? He did not know, nor did he care. What was the use in caring? It only made him more vulnerable and it hurt that much more when he was betrayed. And besides, he was dying anyway._

_The young woman wore a simple dress. Her hair was long and black, with eyes as green and rich as emerald. She was beautiful, and she gazed down at him in sorrow. Her lips moved._

: Do you want to live? _Her voice echoed in his head, even if he could not hear her with his ears._

_Joseph's heart cried. _: Yes . . .

* * *

Joseph's anger had finally calmed enough to make him slow down and actually take note of his surroundings. The land was barren and chilly, with boulders that towered into the sky and were placed in such a way that it had become a labyrinth. The sky was dull with grey clouds. It reminded him of the day that Ahel had given him his new life. He had been eternally grateful to her for giving him this beautiful gift. She had given him a second chance. He returned to the town where everything went wrong and buried the bones of the dead. He punished those that had killed his friends without mercy, killing the corrupt once and for all.

However, Ahel had been right. He did not feel as happy and pleased as he thought he would. It was not in his nature to kill like that. Even though he killed those responsible, there was still an entire world filled with the same kind of people. It was simply in human nature to be greedy and corrupt when presented with power.

Ahel was so wise, so thoughtful. Joseph's heart hurt with the longing to set her free. She had saved him, now it was time to return the favour.

How far had he travelled? Where did Freya lead him to? Was he still in China? It did not really look like what he was used to. But then again, China was a huge country with such variations in landscape depending on where one went.

In the distance, Joseph spied a stampede of horses galloping away.

"You are in Mongolia, Joseph. A neutral land in terms of Niera's, Ianna's and Ahel's forces."

Joseph turned around. Freya stood behind him.

"You have finally stopped running," he sneered.

"There is no need for me to continue on. I have brought you to where you need to be."

Joseph's jaw clenched. He drew out one of his handguns. "Where is Ahel?"

Freya smiled slightly, gazing across at him with her blind eyes. "Can you not tell?"

"I don't have times for games, Freya," Joseph snapped.

"Why not?" A high voice sang from behind him. He stiffened and glanced over his shoulder. To his dread, a little girl stood on his other side with her head titled to one side so her side ponytail – tied with a bunny hair band – hung longer than it normally would. Her hair was light brown and bobbed with curls at the ends.

The girl's clothing was oddly out of place, for she wore denim shorts and a pink short-sleeved hoody with a smiley face printed on the front. Her freckled face was innocent, though her icy blue eyes were anything but. Her socks and shoes were similar to what she always wore.

"Yin Di always has time to play games with me, even though he says he doesn't."

"Annabel," Joseph hissed, feeling the tension in his muscles. His heart sank. He had gotten himself into trouble, badly. How could he hope to escape both Freya and Annabel? Freya had lured him into a trap, and Annabel was there to ensure he could not escape it.

He drew both his .44 Magnums out and pointed one each at the two females. "Where is Ahel?" He repeated, his voice like ice.

"You are in no position to threaten us with your guns, Joseph," Annabel sighed.

Joseph's eyes narrowed. "My patience is running thin," he said in a tight voice. "You may out-number me two-to-one but I will still put up a difficult fight."

"Joseph," Freya said softly. There was no smile on her lips. "Feel around you. What do your senses say? We have no intention of fighting you."

Joseph scoffed. "That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard . . ." He trailed off as something _did _catch his senses. His heart stilled for a moment and his eyes widened. It was another presence that he felt, one that was buried deep underground and hidden carefully within the labyrinth that he had found himself in.

In fact, he could feel many presences, half of which were Chiropteran and half of which were human. It puzzled him that the two were mingled together in the same area without the fluctuations of fighting and death. It was calm.

However, three presences stood above all the others. One was that of a Chevalier, one that he had not senses in a hundred years, quiet in its bound sleep yet still with incredible power. The other two were above even that. It made his skin tingle in fear and frightening respect. It drew him nearer yet repelled him at the same time.

They were the presences of Queens.

Ianna, Ahel and Kylia.

Joseph gasped, feeling his chest and throat constrict in overwhelming emotions. "Ahel! Kylia!" They were here, here in the quiet and deserted land of Mongolia. They had been this close all along. Niera, Yin Di and Joseph believed Ianna would have hidden the two within her Empire of European and British politics where it was impossible to try and breach. Joseph would have never thought to look somewhere so close to home.

Clever psychology. Hidden in the least expected place by placing them in such an unlikely, unpopular location.

The two most important people to him were this close! After a hundred years of searching and fighting in vain, he had finally found his Queen and fellow Chevalier. He could not believe it. The joy and relief in his heart was so overwhelming he wanted to fall to his knees and weep.

However, he did not. Joseph kept his composure. His eyes flashed to Freya with growing suspicion.

"Why did you lead me to them? For decades, you two and Ianna have ensured that Niera, Yin Di and I could not reach Ahel and Kylia. So why now? What is Ianna planning?"

"The situation has changed," Annabel said.

"How is the situation any different to how it always has been?" Joseph snorted.

"That is not for us Chevaliers to know," Freya murmured. "It is between the three Queens." She walked away from him at a ninety-degree angle. "Come with us. Ianna has ordered us to bring you to her."

Joseph stiffened, his muscles tensing to prepare to run out of instinct and habit. He knew that he could not go with them. He could not fall into Ianna's hands otherwise he would never escape. It was all a terrible trap. Under normal circumstances, he would not go with them. Hell, he would even try to fight both Freya and Annabel to ensure he did not have to encounter Ianna alone.

However, they had been clever. Ianna was so close, but so was Ahel. Joseph simply could not turn away. Every cell of his being screamed to continue moving forward, towards his Queen whom he vowed to serve and stay by her side for eternity.

His knew his decision. His heart had always known.

Ianna and her Chevaliers had completely boxed him in.

"Good," Annabel chimed, skipping along behind him as he followed Freya. One in front and one behind. Annabel had the eyes of a predatory cat and Freya felt everything through the vibrations around her. Trying to escape them was not a bright idea at all.

"You are thinking with your head this time, Joseph. Well done!" Annabel continued, firing the insult at him point-blank.

"Said the little girl who can't concentrate long enough to finish colouring a simple picture," Joseph said back dryly.

Killing intent split the air. Joseph spun around.

"Stop, Annabel," Freya's voice cracked like a whip. Annabel had raised her foot, looking like she was about to boot Joseph in the backside. She had frozen upon Freya's sudden command, looking mildly shocked and disappointed, but nowhere near as shocked as Joseph was feeling. He rarely heard Freya use a tone like that at all. Somehow, it sent fear down his spine that was equal to that of a Queen. Even if it was only brief, he still felt it. It was something he never wanted to look at for while he never wanted to admit it, he could not deny that the Chevaliers he had met had sometimes felt just as terrifying as their Queens.

Annabel lowered her leg and huffed, crossing her arms and pouting. "That's no fun, Freya. Why can't I kick him in the butt at all?"

"You will shatter his pelvis, sacrum and coccyx," Freya sighed, continuing to walk on and falling back into her calm composure. "We would have had to carry him to Ianna – something which I don't want to do. Even though Joseph is a Chevalier, that sort of injury will take a while to heal. Ianna wants to see him in shape and in good health."

Being the buffoon – as Kylia usually called him – that he was, he cast a glance back at Annabel and grinned smugly.

"Arsehole," Annabel muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Joseph asked sweetly.

"If you love smiling like a moron all the time, then would you like me sew yours lips together and carve your cheeks out into a permanent smile?" She asked back.

Joseph turned his back to her again, feeling horribly disturbed by her comment and he did not want her to see that. He imagined what it would look like, recalling the state of many of her victims. Those victims were either unlucky souls who never smiled, or smiled too much. Annabel was a girl of opposite extremes.

He remembered one particular victim. A fat nobleman in Italy who delighted in taking away children's' toys and making them cry. The next time Joseph saw him, the nobleman had his cheeks carved from the corners of his mouth upwards, and that, along with his lips had been sewn together in a permanent smile. Blood stained down his lower face, neck and down his white blouse like a red, grizzly, long beard.

Instead of the body being on the floor, or still within a chair, or even in bed, the nobleman was found standing, hung by strings that had been threaded through his limbs that supported his body like a puppet. Annabel made him dance like one, entertaining her dolls which were the 'children' who had come to watch the show that would make them smile and laugh.

Joseph would have been sick right then and there had he still been a human. He wretched instead. It was a time when he had just recently come into his role as Chevalier. It had been the first gory murder that he had witnessed. At the time, he had no idea just how often he would be seeing such scenes. He had no idea just how horrifying his life would turn out to be.

He followed Freya through the labyrinth and then they entered through a secret cave. The cave became passageways that went in all directions: up, down, left and right. The presence of Chiropteran and humans were everywhere.

Joseph felt cold sweat break out over his back. He was deep within the enemy fortress and surrounded. One Chevalier could not fight such a force by himself. Fear, mingled with adrenaline, pumped through his veins. Ianna was close, so close. He wanted nothing more than to flee in the opposite direction.

However, Ahel's and Kylia's presence was just as close. His loyalty to Ahel was stronger than his fear for Ianna.

_I am completely trapped._

They had played him well . . . but he had also done the same – he hoped.

* * *

"And on a final note, I want you on standby within two hours," Yin Di commanded into the phone.

"Yes, Master Yin Di," the low voice on the other side said. "I will have your men prepared within the hour and deployed within the two. We will await your further instruction."

Yin Di hung up the phone and went through the deeper aspects of his touchscreen mobile to prepare for what was to come. Red Shield's HQ was quickly approaching Bei Jing and therefore Yin Di's Headquarters. He had his forces begin preparing for his arrival and quick departure to wherever Joseph and Niera were – something which he still did not know yet.

He lowered his phone and stared out to sea. Yin Di could feel Niera's presence. He could always feel it, and he would always find her. But she felt so far away at the same time. It was not physical distance, but an emotional distance. He had begun to notice it over the last century in particular. Often her gaze seemed far away and even when she was physically next to him, it would feel like she was not there at all.

Yin Di wanted to take her hand in his own, and never let go. He was frightened; frightened that she would suddenly disappear from his life. She was his everything. But now . . . now it was as if she was slipping through his fingers, like water.

He placed a hand over his face and sighed softly. _I used to be able to read her so easily,_ he thought in silence. _But now, I can barely pick up on her emotions._ Yin Di touched the silver ring around his left wedding ring finger. They were not officially married, but they were a couple nonetheless. It was a promise of their eternal love. He would always love her, no matter how far apart they were or how long they were separated. But, he was worried. Niera was fading into the darkness.

_Where are you, Niera?_ Where was her soul?

"A ring?"

Yin Di turned his head slightly, his expression becoming cold and impassive once again upon seeing Tony approach.

"You and Niera are married?"

Yin Di looked back out to sea. "Not officially," he breathed.

Tony's gaze lingered before he looked away. "Well, whatever. You were using your phone which we have forbidden you from doing."

Yin Di raised an eyebrow. "You want to confiscate it?"

Tony nodded, holding out a hand. "Tell me who you were talking to and what about."

Yin Di made no effort to give the young man his phone. "Even if I told you, it would not make a difference."

Dislike wafted from Tony as he lowered his hand. "You act high and mighty when you are surrounded by an enemy made temporarily your reluctant ally. I will say it one more time. Tell me what you were talking about and with whom."

Yin Di felt a small twinge of irritation stir in his blood. "You may be a personal friend of the President of the United States, but you have no power amongst the world's leaders or within its politics." He turned his cold grey eyes upon Tony. "Do not try to presume that you hold some form of power over me or my allies."

Tony returned the cold glare. "I have yet to see any evidence of yours and your allies' positions in the world. I have the President's backing. What do you have?"

Yin Di swallowed a laugh. "You boast, young man. No one likes that. But nonetheless, such a relationship with one so powerful is extremely useful. Joseph is also a man with useful links amongst the Americans, though they will probably not be as good as yours. However, he uses his links well to ensure that the Americans stay out of our way. I advise that you do the same."

"Why?"

"Do you not know your nation's own history?"

Tony was sent into a confused silence. Yin Di sighed softly. Not many humans knew of their nation's history and impact upon the world. They never looked back to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Yin Di raised his phone to hand it to Tony anyway. He did not need it anymore as his message had already been sent to his forces. However, he paused as he noticed it was not the home screen of the phone that he was looking at.

He looked closer, frowning.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

Yin Di did not reply as he stared at the screen. He was looking at a GPS map, a map of Far East Asia which he did not bring up. It was an App he installed on his phone a while ago but he did not remember opening it up after he made his call.

A small red dot blinked on the GPS map. It zoomed to a particular location – Mongolia. Within the blinking red light were the initials 'JE'.

Joseph Elliot.

Yin Di gasped. Since when did Joseph carry a homing signal device? When did he activate it?

No matter! Yin Di had Joseph's location. The man was in south Mongolia! That was where Freya had led him, and Freya would have no doubt led him to Ianna.

Heart suddenly beating so fast, Yin Di's eyes darted up in the direction of Mongolia. Niera's presence was still too far south for where Joseph was if the tracking signal was right. That meant that Niera had lost him. But she was close. He needed to tell her immediately.

"Hey!" Tony yelled. "What's going on?"

Yin Di shoved his phone into the man's hands. "There! Take it and be quiet for a moment."

"Wha –?!"

Yin Di ignored him and closed his eyes, sending his mind immediately into the telepathic state of darkness and sought out Niera's mind. He found her quickly. She was still running north, but slowly, out of wariness in terms of direction, and exhaustion.

_: Niera._

_: Yin Di! Where are you going?_

_: North, to Bei Jing. That's where Red Shield's HQ will dock and it is in my domain. I also have Joseph's location._

There was a beat of silence, before a bubble of excitement, relief and nervousness exploded from her.

_: You have?_ She exclaimed. _Where is he? How did you find out?_

Yin Di smiled faintly. _: So many questions at once, Niera._

_: It's only three!_

_: I know. _He then took a deep breath. _Joseph is in Mongolia in Omnogovi province. He has some homing device on him which my phone has tracked down. You are headed in the right direction but you must be quick. I fear that is also where Ianna is._

Quiet emotions stirred around Niera's mind. _: That is also where Ahel and Kylia are. I am close enough to feel them now and to detect Ahel's mental calls._

Yin Di was stunned speechless. Ahel and Kylia were also there? They had been in Mongolia all along? But it had been so likely that the two were trapped in Europe, in Ianna's Empire. Because of that, they never thought to look in a place such as Mongolia which had so little publicity and attention.

Hence why Ianna would have chosen such a place.

If Ahel and Kylia were there, then that changed everything. It would require a full-scale mobilisation.

_: Do you think Joseph planned it? _Niera suddenly asked, bringing Yin Di back.

He smirked slightly. _: I would not be surprised. He would not fall into a trap without creating something of a similar kind for his own benefit. He must have had the tracking device tactic prepared for quite a while for when this situation finally appeared. Ianna would know that we will try to pursue Joseph, but she won't know that we have his exact location. Joseph will stall her to buy us time to arrive and then we can ambush her while he frees Ahel and Kylia._

He did not have to see Niera to sense that she also smirked. _: Send your forces to the border immediately and you must arrive just as soon. I will clear the way._

Her mind began to drift away after the command.

_: Niera._

She paused and with his mental hands, he reached out to touch her face. _: Be careful_, he whispered.

Niera smiled gently. _: I will._

Their minds parted and Yin Di's eyes flew open, letting the conversation repeat in his mind in a flash. Concern for her squeezed his heart. He had to leave for Mongolia immediately.

"What did you do?" A voice demanded behind him, accompanied by a few other presences. Yin Di turned around to find that Hibiki and Victoria had joined Tony.

"I know where Joseph and Freya are," he said. "I must leave urgently."

Their eyes widened. "What? Where are they?"

"Mongolia," Yin Di replied, his voice sounded quick with urgency and he gripped the railing to jump over the edge into the open.

"Wait!" Tony shouted. "You're not going anywhere."

"Then follow me," Yin Di snapped. "Take the helicopter and send half of your best to Omnogovi province. The other half can follow behind."

"That's absurd!" Hibiki exclaimed. "That is totally unprepared and how would we even be able to fly over Chinese Airspace without their permission."

Yin Di growled under his breath and snatched his phone back from Tony, made a quick call, and then handed his phone back to a stunned pair of hands. "There," he said. "You won't have a problem now. If you don't believe me then take a leap of faith."

Tony pointed his gun and Victoria stepped forward, her hand flashed out. Yin Di caught her wrist and his sickle touched her neck. His hand felt strangely numb from Victoria's touch before he directed her wrist away.

Grey mist began to waft from his body like an aura of glowing, glittering silver smoke. His eyes were illuminated red and the three youngsters seemed to shrink back from him, their eyes wide in sudden wariness.

"Do not try to fight me now," he murmured with two voices – his normal voice and his Chiropteran voice. "I have been given an order by my Queen which I must obey. As a Chevalier, you should honour a Chevalier's loyalty to their Queen."

He let go of Victoria's wrist and jumped over the edge of the ship, morphing into a great winged serpent. His Chiropteran form had no flesh or muscle. He was a skeletal monster surrounded by silvery grey mist and pulsing with a strange power.

The winged serpent shrieked, the cry sending out violent ripples across the water in all directions for miles. He flew up, through the stratocumulus and over a sea of white, rippling clouds. Yin Di soared towards his Queen, who was running to save the people she had protected and lost. They both raced against time, desperate the close the distance between them and Ianna and Ahel, praying that Joseph would be able to stall Ianna long enough for them to arrive. Once they had arrived, and hopefully with the Red Shield members, they would ambush Ianna and her Chevaliers and finally, free Ahel and Kylia.


	10. Chapter 9

**7 and 3/4 pages**

**A/N: I had been hoping to get another chapter out by the Wednesday just gone (26th) seeing as I'm now on my holidays. Turns out there's still so little time for writing. Why is there never any time?! I've been trying to catch up on my manga, driving and housing -.- boy life gets difficult after school and when uni starts. My sympathies to those of you still in school. You haven't seen anything yet T_T life gets so miserable afterwards.  
**

**Now, just in case anyone is thinking I may be biased about the OCs, please don't think that T_T I know I'm writing a lot from Joseph's POV atm but that's because he's the only one of Ahel's side who has the freedom of movement. There are basically 4 sides if you haven't noticed yet: Ahel's, Ianna's, Niera's and Red Shield. Hwayeom is dead, Kylia is imprisoned and so is Ahel, and Joseph is the only free character on her side. So I hope that clears up any concerns if anyone has them.**

**Same goes with the global relations I have in this fanfic. I have nothing against any of the countries I write about in this fanfic. I'm just going by what I hear in the news and read in the papers/financial times/articles etc. And besides, this is just a story.**

**So anyways! Hopefully that has made a few things clear just in case. Here's chap 9.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

Joseph followed Freya deeper into the underground labyrinth with Annabel skipping behind him somewhere in the dim lighting. The little girl hummed away and Joseph shivered. She hummed one of Yin Di's beautiful pieces that he played for Niera with the flute. Annabel's young voice turned something that should have been beautiful and good, into something that was corrupted with evil. What was worse though was that Annabel kept to the original tune and kept it just as beautiful with her soft tones.

"When did you hear that piece, Annabel?" Joseph asked tightly, his voice bouncing off the walls, temporarily drowning out the gobbled growls of Chiropteran that lurked deep within the passages.

"Over three hundred years ago," she replied lightly. "You weren't even born back then. I wish Yin Di would play his flute for me. But he never did. He only ever played it for Niera. So I hid somewhere to listen to him."

Somewhat startled, Joseph glanced back at the little girl who shrugged her shoulders. "You didn't attack him?"

"Why should I?"

Joseph was taken aback by the question. "Why?" He repeated. "Well, because you aren't exactly the good guys."

Annabel tilted her head to the side and wore a smile. The smile was a mask. "Is that really how you see us as?"

'Of course' was what Joseph wanted to say, and with certainty too. However, her eyes made him frown in confusion instead. There was something about the way she said that question which made him think twice. Why did he have to think twice in the first place? Ianna and her Chevaliers caused misery, pain and suffering. They left blood and death; grief and hate; fury and ruin in their wake.

They were evil.

And he was surrounded by them. Joseph gritted his teeth. He hoped that Yin Di and Niera would be able to catch onto his plan, but would they be able to find him in this incredible labyrinth? His homing signal was activated but it would only show Yin Di where Joseph was on a global map. It would not lead him through the maze.

Joseph struggled to keep his heart from beating any faster in anticipation and stress or he would give away his plan to Freya. He just had to hope that Niera would be able to find him.

He closed his eyes briefly. _Niera,_ he thought, seeing her silhouette in the darkness behind his eyes. She would find him. She was a woman that was neither too kind nor too cruel, who laughed like a teenage girl and wept like a widow.

However, something slept behind all of that, something that he did not know, nor did he want to know. It made him sweat in unconscious fear, more so than Ianna could ever make him, and it reminded him of how thankful he was that it was Ianna who was his enemy, not Niera. It was astonishing how age changed the perception of that one person.

They continued walking on and Joseph watched the paths they took. His memory was good, like all other Chevaliers, but now he was struggling to remember all the twists and turns of the labyrinth. There were simply too many. The dim candle light flickered off the frozen mud walls, some of which were broken by the occasional bone that stuck out from the dirt. In other places he could trace the outline of skeletons within the walls, and in some places the orbitals of skulls stared from behind the mud.

Old and timeless death hung in the air around him, for this was a necropolis, an ancient one.

"We are here," Freya finally said, turning the final corner and stopping outside a set of metal double doors that were bolted tightly shut.

Joseph came to a halt and stared up at the great doors, suddenly feeling very small with the presence of Ianna on the other side looming over him. The urge to flee was overwhelming. It took everything he had to stand his ground, for also beyond the door was his Queen. He _had _to see this through.

* * *

Victoria stood a few steps behind Hibiki, watching her Queen discuss a plan of action with the others. Victoria's expression was unreadable as she listened in silence, her mind still dwelling on the aura that was emitted from Yin Di. She had encountered more than a few Chevaliers in her lifetime, but Yin Di was the first to have rooted her on the spot in fear.

Only Queens were supposed to have that sort of effect on others. Was this what age and time did to a Chevalier? Did it make them stronger? More frightening? If so, then what did that make their Queens who were even older?

Victoria watched them all, eager to plunge into a situation that none of them were familiar with. They were young, so of course they were too eager, lacking in understanding, unable to fully grasp the sheer concept of power that these three old Queens wielded. Hibiki and Kanade would not understand. They understood it better than the humans of Red Shield for they were Queens after all, but they were still so young in Victoria's eyes, for Victoria was old – older than any of them would have ever suspected.

Her green eyes flickered to Haji. He was an old Chevalier, and one that did not abuse his power or even put out an aura that demanded fear and respect. It was as if Haji had no aura. But Victoria knew better. She knew of the battle between he and Amshel.

Thinking of Amshel sent shudders of disgust throughout Victoria's body. Haji killing him made her more than happy and relieved. He was powerful, powerful and loyal.

The latter was something that Victoria lacked.

Her eyes turned to Saya. Something stirred in Victoria's blood. Saya and Haji were the only two aside from Victoria who hid something else behind their gaze. Age and wisdom was reflected in their eyes.

"Saya and Haji will go with Kai and Callum in the helicopter," Lewis said, sorting out his equipment. "Two more must go with them."

Hibiki and Kanade glanced at each other and then Hibiki looked back at Victoria, with eyes that almost asked if what she wanted to say was alright. No one else could see it, but Victoria could forever see the faint wish that Victoria would swear her complete obedience to Hibiki. On the surface, everyone believed the two were a normal Queen and her Chevalier. But the relationship was far from it. Victoria never swore her loyalty to Hibiki.

Victoria shrugged and smiled kindly. It did not reach her eyes. "Do whatever you feel is right, Hibiki."

Hibiki's gaze lingered on Victoria for a moment and Victoria watched a tiny spark of sorrow flicker in her mahogany eyes. It was very rare that Victoria ever saw it, and it was only Victoria who saw it. Although Hibiki was such a careless and clumsy type of girl, there was far more to her than what met the eye. She was also so happy, so cheery, and it annoyed Victoria more often than not.

However, seeing the faint flickers of sorrow in Hibiki's gaze was beginning to make Victoria's chest ache. It made her frown in confusion. Just what was this ache? She did not understand what it was for it was completely foreign. Never before had she had it. Never before had she been bothered by Hibiki's internal feelings. So why now?

The young Queen turned back to Lewis.

"Victoria and I will go."

Victoria's jaw clenched slightly. _This ache is nothing,_ she thought in contempt. _It does not mean anything. I simply have no desire to be loyal and obedient to Hibiki – that is all. _

Yin Di's glowing red eyes flashed through her memory, raising the hairs on the back of her neck with goose bumps.

"_I have been given an order by my Queen which I must obey. As a Chevalier, you should honour a Chevalier's loyalty to their Queen."_

Victoria clenched her fists. Did he know? Was he able to sense Victoria's disloyalty?

_How? _She thought fiercely. _He has barely known us for a couple of days. _

Were the Chevaliers and Queens of old this sensitive to other Chiropterans? Could they see all?

A small pang of worry embraced Victoria's heart for a moment and her green eyes flickered back to Hibiki, who was taking the lead with Saya in getting the operation organised as quickly as possible. Hibiki was a Queen, just like Saya. But unlike Saya, Hibiki and Kanade lacked the fear factor of their predecessors.

Red Shield had been dragged into an ancient fight which they knew nothing about, against Chevaliers that were like Chiropteran Queens and against Chiropteran Queens that were something more. Saya and Haji would be able to hold their ground, but would Hibiki and Kanade?

Victoria's smooth skin felt cold. _Am . . . Am I worried?_ She thought hesitantly in confusion.

"Lewis," Saya said, her clear voice cutting through Victoria's strange thoughts. "We can take it from here."

Lewis nodded. "Very well. Get yourself ready. We'll meet at the platform in fifteen minutes."

* * *

Freya opened one side of the great double doors. Annabel took a hold of Joseph's sleeve and tugged him through. Even though Annabel did not touch him directly, just having her so close sent a violent shudder of wariness through Joseph's body, so much so that he jerked his arm away out of terror, not annoyance.

"Eh? You're so mean, Joseph!" Annabel whined. "I wasn't going to hurt you."

Joseph smiled back thinly with sarcasm. "And I should believe a statement like that from _you_ of all people?"

Annabel giggled and skipped in front of him. "Ah, young Joseph. You should trust, every once in a while."

Joseph pulled a face. _Me, young?!_ He thought in disbelief, especially as the words were coming out of the mouth of a child frozen at the age of nine. However, he had to remember that she was at least two hundred years his senior. Annabel was old, very old. With such age came respect and power. Joseph was a Chevalier, but he could not hold a candle up to these beings that were over four centuries old.

"But you will never trust like you once did . . ." Annabel said, turning around to look at Joseph. Her words struck a chord in his soul, wrenching old memories back to the surface. It was the first time blood had been spilled before his eyes.

"_No! Father! Why, Uncle? WHY?!"_

"_I told you before, Joseph. Don't trust people so blindly. This is my lesson to you."_

Joseph's breath caught in his throat. His eyes flashed to Annabel. She smirked cruelly, her expression twisted and warped, showing the glimpse of the stirring insanity within her dark and corrupted mind.

How? How did she know that part of his past? How did she pinpoint one of the harshest lessons he was forced to learn in his life? Just like how had she been able to hear the pieces Yin Di played for Niera? Even Joseph rarely heard them, but because he was a friend, because he had spent the last one hundred years with them, he knew the pieces, if only vaguely.

He glared at Annabel in fury, fury to mask his rising panic. What had he gotten himself into? This little girl looked so innocent on the outside, but within was a monster.

No wonder she led the EU by the nose. She had to be eliminated. Such a person, such a being was far too dangerous to be allowed to live!

His hands flashed to his handguns.

Another, pale hand, came out of the gloom and touched Annabel's head, gently pulling her towards the side of a body like a mother would hold her daughter close.

Ianna stood next to Annabel, standing tall and slender in her elegant suit. The dim light cast shadows over her calm face, but those yellow eyes were forever like an eerie light in the darkness.

Upon seeing her, Joseph froze, his heart seemed to stop and his breath stuck in his throat.

"Freya told you earlier: do not try to fight," Ianna said, her voice low and calm, like her expression. Joseph could barely think. Here, he stood in the same room as Ianna. There she stood, in the flesh, the woman he had been trying to keep away from, the woman Niera and Yin Di tried to protect him from. Out of his own careless, he had run straight into her hands in the hopes that he would find Ahel.

However, he hoped with all his heart that Niera and Yin Di followed somewhere behind. Despite the front he put on, he trembled with fear internally. This was his nightmare. Being alone with Ianna, surrounded by her Chevaliers and Chiropteran, cut off from Ahel and Niera.

"Welcome to the Southern Necropilis, Joseph," Ianna welcomed in her usual dark monotone.

Joseph's jaw clenched. "I have never heard of such a place in Mongolia."

"Of course you would not have," Ianna said. "You are American. You and your people will have no interest in a country like this, which is more than beneficial for the Mongolians."

Joseph smiled through ground teeth. "You welcome me with an insult to my homeland? You think our knowledge of geography is that poor?"

The corners of her lips twitched in a vague attempt to smile with humour. "Not really. Not even the Mongolians are aware of the Four Necropolises. Its history goes back almost four thousand years."

Joseph did not reply, leaving the four of them in silence. Not once did he take his eyes off Ianna, nor keep his ears from listening to Freya behind him.

"You lured me into a trap," he finally said, his voice tight with grudging appraisal. "It's not often I get tricked like that."

"Which is surprising, given your history in the Wild West," Freya murmured.

Joseph snorted. _Another insult? What am I to them? The village idiot? Hardly,_ his vain side scoffed. _Intelligence is insulted with stupidity, just as dislike is often mistaken for love or fancy._

Mentioning the Wild West reminded him of Ahel when he first saw her, of how she stood over him and asked him if he wanted to live once again. Her soft voice caressed his ears. The emerald pools that were her eyes brought calmness to the storm within his heart. Her cloak of long black hair surrounded him in protective shadow.

A Chevalier's duty was to protect his/her Queen from whatever harm came her way. But Ahel and Niera returned that favour by protecting their own Chevaliers, just as their Chevaliers protected them. They were such good people, even if they said they were not.

Joseph straightened, lowering his hands down by his sides and met Ianna's gaze directly.

"Where is Ahel?"

His words hung in the air, like a sword suspended from the ceiling by a single thread. Ianna returned his gaze without blinking, and she gazed at him for a long time, before her eyes flickered over his shoulders to Freya, and then back down to Annabel.

"Annabel," she said softly. "Go with Freya for now. I have the ingredients for you to make the scones with her."

Annabel's expression brightened. "Scones!" She exclaimed happily.

Ianna nodded. Annabel beamed and dashed behind Joseph to Freya, taking her by the hand. "Come and join us later for tea and scones, Joseph!" Annabel chimed with a little wave, before she and Freya had left the room, closing the steel door behind them.

Joseph stared after them with concealed surprise. "Scones? Since when did murderers like you start baking?"

Ianna's emotionless expression remained passive and she turned, opening another door. "Come and walk with me, Joseph."

Joseph stubbornly refused to move. "How do I know you won't pull anymore tricks?"

"You will not know," Ianna replied flatly. "However, if you wish to see Ahel and Kylia, then swallow your pride and walk with me." It was not a request. It was a command.

Joseph growled under his breath, and after a moment of deliberating, he agreed and walked with Ianna through the dim passages of the necropolis. He tried to keep his pace controlled, for he had to buy time, enough time to allow Niera and Yin Di to arrive.

"How did you find Red Shield's Headquarters so quickly?" He interrogated.

"Didn't Niera tell you?" Ianna mused. "I followed the emotions of one of their members. Tony Redgrave I believe his name was. He had them well hidden until recently." Her expression twisted into sickening bliss. "He was the only boy who did not panic as much as the other little children did when I murdered their families in front of their very eyes. He was an interesting boy, as were his parents."

Joseph looked away, unable to stomach her expression. "You sickening bitch."

"Apparently," she breathed. "It seems my sister's appearance has awakened many of his formerly buried emotions. Foolish child. He was so easy to find."

Joseph's muscles tensed in anger. Tony would not have known. It could not have been helped. But his carelessness angered Joseph nonetheless. It would have angered Yin Di more so.

_I don't think I would like to have Bei Jing's mafia boss angry at me, _he thought with a shudder. The very thought of it was much more frightening than he would like to admit. His sympathies went out to Tony.

"Freya was very eager to see him again," Ianna said.

"Why?"

"She burnt down his home."

Joseph flinched. How old would Tony have been then? He was eighteen now from Joseph's judgement, which meant the young man was six when his world came crashing down around him. For one so young to go through something so traumatic was . . . horrendously tragic.

"How are my older sister and her Chevalier doing?" Ianna asked.

"That is none of your buisness," Joseph answered tensely. "Why do you even care? This fight has always been between you and Ahel. What does Niera have to do with it? You just dragged her in for no reason."

Ianna's gaze flickered to him. "How much of Niera's past do you know?"

"I know enough."

"Do you?"

Joseph glared at her. She turned her eyes back to the passage ahead.

"You know nothing of the past my older sister and I shared. From your point of view, I can understand why you would think Niera has nothing to do with this fight, as this fight – at present – indeed has nothing to do with her. Ahel dragged her in and as the eldest sister, she would come to her youngest sister's aid when called for. Truly an older sister," she whispered, almost with a hint of bitterness, unless Joseph's ability in reading underlying tones was incorrect. "Ahel is weak, always crying for help, clinging to Niera like a whimpering child and pulling her down."

Joseph grabbed Ianna's shoulder and pinned her against the wall in seething anger. "Take that back," he hissed. "How _dare_ you accuse Ahel of being weak and blaming her for pulling Niera into this fight, when it is clearly _you_ who did such a thing!"

Ianna's gaze was distant. For a moment, Joseph was taken back into a brief flash of a memory. Niera had the same expression in her eyes. They both thought of the same person, but who that person was Joseph did not know. Niera's expression then softened to one of lost despair while Ianna –

Hers was distorted into hate.

Joseph blinked. Ianna smirked and pushed his hand away. "Perhaps," she murmured, taking the lead again. "After all, I did kill him."

"Kill who?"

Ianna remained silent, but a smile too wide for her mouth stretched across her lips. Joseph thought of Annabel's victims with sewn lips and cut cheeks.

She entered a room with a curved window at the far end, looking out into the deep darkness of a chamber beyond. Ahel's and Kylia's presence was so strong now. The pull towards his Queen was like that of an asteroid passing too close to a gravitation force and getting caught within it, pulled towards its source. It was impossible for Joseph to resist. He wanted so much to run towards his Queen. The pull was beginning to drive him insane.

Ianna turned to face him. "I will make a deal with you, Joseph."

Joseph frowned angrily.

"I will free Ahel or Kylia _if_ you swear your loyalty to me."

Joseph felt like he had been punched in the gut. He could not breathe for a moment. He threw his hand out to the side.

"How can you expect me to do that?" He snarled. "I am Ahel's Chevalier. No matter how much you wish for my loyalty, my heart will serve Ahel for _eternity_."

Ianna's hand was raised and against his heart. Joseph gasped sharply. When did she raise her hand?

"It seems I will never be able to win your heart for that serves only Ahel," she said quietly. "However, I will have your obedience and your body, and I will let either Ahel or Kylia go. It is your choice." She raised her hand to his neck. Her nails were like a blade held against his pulsing, carotid artery. "And whichever one you choose, I will kill the other in your presence."

* * *

Victoria sat beside Hibiki and opposite Saya and Haji in the helicopter. Callum sat on Hibiki's other side. They were fast approaching Bei Jing and Hibiki was struggling to lean over Victoria's lap to see out the window.

Victoria sighed. "Hibiki, do you have to lean over me like this? When I asked if you wanted the window seat you said no."

"Yeah, but I like sitting in the middle," Hibiki grumbled, her voice strained from trying to crane her neck far enough to see over the edge.

"Lean over Callum then!"

Hibiki looked up at her in dismay. "Don't you know what kind of image that would portray?!"

Victoria glanced over at Callum who waggled his eyebrows. He patted his legs. "Come, come, Hibiki! You can lean across me and perhaps even rest your head against my lap."

Hibiki raised her hand – which was clenched into a fist – and punched him in the crotch. Callum doubled over where he sat, coughing in pain. Saya gasped in concern, Haji barely raised an eyebrow, Hibiki turned her head away with her nose held high, and Victoria was laughing like a fool.

"Don't you think that is a bit harsh, Hibiki?" Saya chided.

"But he made a sexual advance!"

"Hardly!" Callum wheezed.

"Fine! You _hinted_. I am too young to be influenced by such dirty thoughts!"

"Young?!" Callum spluttered, sucking in a strained breath. "You're thirty – or was it twenty-nine – years old! Never mind that you and Kanade stopped aging at seventeen."

"You're calling me _old_?!" Hibiki shrieked. "You have some nerve to say that to a woman! Come here!" She threw an arm around Callum's neck and caught him in a lock, twisting her knuckles painfully into his head.

"Gyaa! Hibiki! Stop that! It hurts, it hurts damn it!"

"Yeah? You should have thought about that before calling me _old_!"

Victoria covered her mouth with a hand as she snickered away, leaving Saya to try and calm down the heated argument between the two youngsters.

It was nice . . . to be surrounded by laughter and fun. Victoria had missed this and now she had it back. But how long would it last? Nothing ever lasted forever.

She turned her green eyes to the window and watched the land spread about beneath. The smog of Bei Jing was fast approaching. This was another great city which she had never visited before. It was a huge city of great culture and ancient history. It reminded her of London. Whenever one thought of London, immediately they thought of great history and power, culture and respect. It was the same with Bei Jing. Perhaps even more so as China was the great financial – as well as political – power now in the world. Hell, they even owned the United States to some extent, seeing as they had bought most of the US's debts – something which the Americans did not like being reminded of.

After the helicopter entered Chinese airspace, the group of them had sat tight with the fear that the Chinese Air force would come to intercept them. However, they did not. In fact, they had even been given a location to land, permission to borrow a few of their jets and clearance to fly deeper into their airspace.

"How was Yin Di able to get clearance for all of this?" Victoria wondered aloud. "What sort of power does that man hold?"

"A lot," Kai said from his position as co-pilot. "Turns out he's Bei Jing's mafia boss which in effect means he controls the capital. And seeing as the capital holds so much power, he basically has control of most of Asia from the shadows."

This silenced the chaos of Hibiki, Callum and Saya. Victoria's eyes widened.

"Say what?" Callum exclaimed. "When did you find this out?"

"This morning," Kai mused with entertainment. "So I suggest we don't make him too angry. I don't like the idea of having Bei Jing's mafia chasing us across the globe."

"They will not," Haji murmured. "Red Shield is its own side – neutral in everyone else's eyes."

Kai nodded. "That's right."

Victoria's eyes turned to the sky where Yin Di flew away in. Now his aura and presence made sense. _Such power and influence_, she thought in chilled silence. _Like Diva._ That Queen was the centre of the entertainment world; she led the American government by the nose. But what the American government did not understand was that it was all simply a game to Diva. Diva was truly a terrifying Chiropteran Queen. Her Chevaliers had infiltrated businesses, companies and military alike, even royal families – the House of Romanov.

Victoria had her own power in the world. Hers was entertainment for she was the model for Alice in Wonderland.

It seemed like most Chevaliers and Queens, and even those around them like Tony, had influence and power in the world of the living.

She knew Yin Di's now. What were the others?

Victoria turned back to the others. "So what will happen when we land in Bei Jing?"

"If we are lucky, Yin Di will still be there to give us some direction," Kai said. "If not, then his subordinates will direct us to their jets and fly us to the border with Omnogovi province. We will take jeeps from there onwards."

"We can't fly across the border?" Hibiki asked.

Saya shook her head. "No flight permission."

"But can't Yin Di get it for us?"

"Unfortunately, no," Saya sighed. "He's got us permission to fly in Chinese airspace because this is China, therefore his domain. Mongolia is a completely separate country. I'm sure he can get permission to fly in Mongolian airspace too but it would take a couple of days or weeks for that request to be sent through and processed."

Hibiki mirrored Saya's sigh, slumping back in her seating position. "That is a pity. It would be much faster with jets. Oh well, it isn't much of an issue for us four." She then elbowed Callum with a sly grin. "Sucks to be you. Want to become my Chevalier? You can keep up with us then."

Callum returned her sly grin. "No thanks. I like having a life. You know, if you were a man, I would have punched you in the crotch and broken your nose by now."

"Too bad I'm not," Hibiki said sweetly.

"Too bad indeed," Callum agreed.

Victoria watched their bickering with amusement. However, her expression fell slightly at the reason why they bickered.

Fear.

It was to distract them from the fear and anticipation growing in their guts. This was the first time that either of them would be getting involved with a situation concerning an enemy Queen and her Chevaliers. It was their first big fight, with no guarantee that they would return alive. They were going to be dealing with people who were older even than Saya and Haji. These people would be old and experienced, frightening and powerful, commanding and mysteriously unknown.

Victoria hoped that they were ready, including herself.


	11. Chapter 10

**7 and a half pages**

**A/N: I've just wondered if any of you do the same as me, which is to listen to some kind of amazing music while reading, or writing, or both. It's sets the scene so well! So as a recommendation if you do listen to music while reading my fanfics, then DON'T listen to happy music. Ugh, it's foul . and definitely doesn't fit the mood. My new favourite is Celtic music by Adrian Von Ziegler and BrunuhVille. The tones and atmosphere in their works are perfect! Though for these fanfics, I think the stuff posted on youtube by MrEpicOsts and HDMusicization is more fitting.  
**

**Anyway, back on topic, here's chapter 10. Sorry I keep leaving it as a suspense at the end of each chapter. I didn't notice until you all pointed it out. I hope my scenes meet your expectations and don't disappoint T_T  
**

Chapter Ten

Saya's expression fell back into an impassive mask, the one she always wore for serious situations like this. The helicopter landed on the outskirts of Bei Jing in a small, plain looking airport that seemed to be the type that would handle small aircrafts for small, low level flights, like the ones she very often saw in the UK and in Europe.

It was an odd location for an airport, especially as Bei Jing's main airport was only on the other side of the city. This one seemed abandoned in fact, but if this was a mafia airport then it had to appear as such to avoid the prying eyes of the government.

Saya shivered slightly, looking out of the window at the city in the distance, home to the most powerful people in China that ruled with an iron fist. The Communist Party was a frightening Party, still holding onto the legacy of Chairman Mao, the monster who destroyed the country in 1950s after World War Two. Saya just could not understand why its people still worshipped the man. Were they blind? But she was wise enough to not say anything about it.

Out the window, men in black suits, white shirts, slicked back black hair and dark sunglasses stood waiting with two very expensive looking black cars.

"Mafias sure like the colour black," Hibiki mused.

"It's like that wherever you go in the world," Victoria said in agreement.

Callum slid the helicopter door open and the five of them clambered out, followed by Kai. The rotation of the blades above whipped up the air around them, causing them to hold their arms up so their hair did not snap at their eyes.

Saya moved to the front of her group with Haji hovering to her right. She faced the men before her, silently hoping but doubting Yin Di's very quick promise.

"We were given coordinates by your people to land here," she shouted over the squeal of the helicopter behind. "Yin Di gave us his word that his men would meet us at this location."

The man at the front nodded and held out his hand. Saya shook it in greeting. "Welcome to Bei Jing, elite members of Red Shield. My name is Lao. Master Yin Di has informed us of the situation. He apologises that he cannot be here to greet you."

"Where is he?" Kai asked before Lao could finish.

"Half way to his and your final destination. Your craft is waiting."

Saya's eyes widened slightly. _Half way there already?_ And he had stopped at the city to organise the next steps for both his team and Red Shield. He was quick, and organised, with the same strength of desire to stay close to his Queen as other Chevaliers.

Red Shield's members were driven through the airport grounds to the other side where there was an incredibly long runway, much longer than something for a small plane. This was the runway for a jumbo passenger craft.

Rounding the corner, Saya could see why. A military passenger jet stood waiting. Military personnel were preparing and boarding the craft.

"Woah, why are there so many soldiers," Callum interrupted with demand. "This was not part of the plan."

"This is not your plan," Lao replied simply. "This is Master Yin Di's. You wanted to pursue him so this is what you will have to deal with. Even if you did not follow, Master Yin Di will still be sending personnel to Omnogovi province as Ianna is surrounded by an army of Chiropteran and Secret Service soldiers from the UK."

"British military forces are the best in the world," Haji murmured and Saya felt her jaw clench.

"Too bad they're governed by such an incompetent government," Victoria said dryly. "And they're not as good as they used to be anymore."

Hibiki glanced at her. "Why not?"

"The Conservative Party that were in power from 2010 to 2015 made so many cuts to the country, as well as cutting back on their military and defence. The country had some very bad economic times back then so it's understandable why they'd make cuts. But they cut back on all the wrong things. Its military was one of them. The RAF, Navy and Army are still struggling to regain their footing after its numbers were so drastically reduced. The current government isn't doing much to help as they too don't understand," Victoria explained and then sighed. "The Queen probably should have done something about it as she was the Commander-in-Chief, she could have stopped the Coalition's absurd cuts to its defences, but she did not. Then again, she could not have, because if she decided to take some form of power back then it would have divided the country in two, resulting in civil war."

Hibiki frowned. "How do you know all that?"

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "That is nothing at all compared to what I know. But to answer your question, I was around back then. I'm older than you, Hibiki, remember? And also I paid close attention to what was going on in the media."

Saya smiled faintly at her niece's sighing expression. Hibiki was so innocent and sweet, very happy and bubbly. It made her glad to see that Diva's children were like this. If Diva was here, she would be just as happy. She wanted a family, to bring up her daughters and surround them in the love which she lacked, locked up in the tower by Amshel.

However, now was not the time to think of her younger sister. She turned her attention back to Lao as they climbed out of the cars.

"Do you have any figures?"

"Not any accurate figures," he said, shaking his head. "The numbers we're being informed of are from Lady Niera who was been encountering Chiropteran as far back as Ningxia province."

"Where's that?" Hibiki asked.

"A province just south of Inner Mongolia. It is still a long way from Omnogovi province," Lao said. "Ianna appears to have set up rings of defence using Chiropteran the further north Lady Niera goes. Each ring has a couple of dozen, but the numbers are increasing the closer to Omnogovi province one heads."

Callum sucked in a sharp breath. "That many?"

Kai clapped him on the back. "It'll be fine. We're all experts in the field. Let's get going. Niera and Yin Di are only one Queen and Chevalier. They're going to need back up as soon as possible."

Lao nodded and directed them towards the plane. Saya lagged behind before she then stopped, closing her eyes briefly. She did not want to wake up to this fight. She wanted to live, and live in peace with Haji, Kai, Hibiki and Kanade.

Why did this have to happen? Once again, she had to pick up her sword to fight. Red Shield did not have to get involved with this incident and long-standing battle. It was none of their business. But even if Tony had not been attacked, Saya knew she would not have been able to rest easy with the knowledge that Chiropteran still prowled the globe under the command of another Queen who fought her sisters.

"Haji."

"Yes, Saya."

"My sword."

Haji went down on one knee and opened his cello case. He brought her sword out and held it out to her with both hands.

Saya reached out and her fingers curled around the sheath of the sword. This sword had killed so many. She felt her heart sink slowly.

"Fight, Saya," Haji whispered. "Tatakai."

Once again, she had to fight.

* * *

Kylia's eyes were open, but rarely did her eyes register what she saw in front, for all she saw before her was the constant, cloying darkness of the chamber she was imprisoned in. Her mind was elsewhere, conjuring the memories she had of her life after Joseph joined. Hwayeom was a handful to deal with as it was, and when Joseph joined, Kylia thought it could not get any worse. As a quiet woman, being surrounded by such full-blown jolliness and boldness was, in all honesty, an absolute pain in the arse.

However, she could not imagine her life in any other way. Her time as a human was filled with hardship and plague. Smiling was not something she did. Hwayeom and Joseph taught her how to laugh and smile. Her time with them could not be happier.

But Hwayeom was gone now, and Joseph was going to follow.

Kylia's eyes felt strange. If she were still a human, they would be stinging with tears. But just like how she could no longer eat or drink human food, she could not shed tears.

_I don't want this happiness to end_, her mind whispered in sorrow. _I wish we can go back, back to the days when the four of us were still together._

Ahel – Hwayeom – Kylia – Joseph.

Silent sound that stirred, trickled into her ears. Kylia blinked slowly and raised her eyes. Bound anger and hate seethed within her upon seeing Ianna stand before her once again. This woman killed Hwayeom. This woman broke Ahel and imprisoned Kylia. This woman would be their grim reaper.

Her anger and hate stalled when she noticed that Ianna did not stand alone. A man stood beside her, with tan skin, cowboyish clothing, long and curly black hair, topped with a hat.

Kylia's eyes widened as she took in his whole appearance. Her dark blue eyes met his brown eyes. How long had it been since she last saw this man? How long ago did she last see Joseph?

Fury flashed in Kylia's gaze. _You moronic buffoon!_ She screamed at him mentally. _Why did you come here!?_ Of course, he could not hear, not while the lower half of her face was bound in a metal mask and her telepathic, Chiropteran abilities sealed. Her fists clenched and the chains that bound her clanked as she moved.

Sympathy flitted through Joseph's expression. "I'm sorry, Kylia," he said softly. "I lost my patience."

Hearing his voice sent a jolt through Kylia's body. It made her realise just how much she missed her companions.

Joseph's eyes were tired, with the same realisation in his gaze. He had been searching for a long time. He was tired.

Kylia's heart wept.

"A decision lies before you, Joseph," Ianna said. "I will release only one. In return, you must serve me. I will kill whichever one you leave behind."

Kylia's heart almost stopped. What did Ianna just say? She would release one in return for Joseph's obedience? She would kill the other?

Ianna already warned her that Joseph would have to choose between the two, and Kylia knew who he was going to choose, for she would do the same. Ahel came before all else. But still, despair and hopelessness clutched Kylia's heart. Of course there had to be a deal. Joseph's obedience in return to Ahel's freedom.

His jolly laughter echoed in her ears, mirrored by Hwayeom's. Hwayeom was gone. She did not want to lose Joseph too. He would be the only other person to bring a smile to Ahel's face. If he was gone, then who was going to make Ahel smile? Who was going to make her laugh?

Kylia met his eyes. He smiled faintly.

"I won't give you my servitude until you release the one I ask," he said.

Ianna tilted her head to the side slightly. "That seems unfair."

"Does it?" He asked in irony. "I'm not the bad guy here. The good guys keep to their word."

"And I don't?"

"No."

Joseph held Ianna's gaze, before she then looked at Kylia. "Who will you choose, Joseph? Ahel or Kylia?" She then looked back at him. "But do I even need to ask you that? We all know who you will choose."

Kylia gazed at Joseph. His eyes met hers. She felt very calm, nothing like the rising panic that she was expecting. Just having two of Ahel's Chevaliers under the same roof made them feel stronger together as a collective unit. But Joseph did not know that Ianna would kill Ahel as soon as she was released!

"Kylia."

The two women stared at Joseph.

"What?" Ianna voiced the question of dismay that Kylia could not say out loud.

"Release Kylia."

This statement was met by silence. Joseph's request was not expected – at all. Release Kylia? Not Ahel? What was he thinking?!

Joseph would not meet her eyes.

Ianna recovered and brushed off the startling statement. "Very well," she said. "I will not argue with you. Come with me then, Joseph."

Ianna turned and Kylia felt a spark of panic. What was Joseph thinking? Why free Kylia and not Ahel? Ahel was their Queen! It was over if Ahel died.

Joseph turned to follow Ianna, however, his gaze lingered on Kylia for a moment longer and when his back was turned, he traced an N in the air behind his frame so only Kylia could see it.

An N? For what? What did N stand for?

The eldest sister of the three flashed up in Kylia's mind. Glowing purple eyes, wielding the sword of an emperor.

Niera.

Joseph was waiting for Niera to arrive.

Kylia hung limply against her chains. _So that is his plan_, she thought in exhausted disbelief. Joseph would take care of Kylia's release, while Niera would face Ianna and free Ahel.

Kylia was not sure what she felt. Joy? Relief? Terror? It all hung on his plan. If he succeeded, then Niera herself would be here to set them free. If not, then they all died.

* * *

Niera pulled her sword from the last Chiropteran as it crystallised, before she then swiped her hand across it, shattering its body and the shards of red crystal scattered through the air. She took a moment to catch her breath before she ducked behind a series of boulders and leaned against them, resting her head back.

Her throat burned as she sucked in staggered breaths and her legs shook. If she let just a small strain of weakness pass her locked knees, her legs would buck beneath her.

She had been fighting for days, she had already killed a couple hundred Chiropteran, she was already at the labyrinth of the Southern Necropolis – and she was extremely tired.

The blood of the animals she had drained dry was not enough, not when she had shed enough of her own blood to crystallise the Chiropteran that fought to stop her. Her throat burned with thirst.

_I have to resist it,_ she thought viciously.

Hesitantly, Niera glanced around the corner of her boulder. In the distance, another Chiropteran moved behind a shadow and Niera felt her heart sink in irritation and dismay. There were so many! It was never ending. Just how many humans had Ianna converted to become these hideous monsters?

She took a deep breath and darted around the labyrinth, following the tiny pull that Ianna and Ahel unconsciously projected. Niera probably projected the same thing, but it appeared that after these five hundred years, her two sisters had yet to discover that particular link. However, not even Niera could detect it unless she was very close to them, and close meant within the half mile of her target.

Niera stopped again behind more boulders, a last barrier before a brief clearing where there had to be a concealed entrance. The layout of the grounds was similar to the Northern Necropolis, so this place was not entirely foreign to her. However, she had only been to the Northern Necropolis once and that was shortly after Hong Zhi's death. She could barely remember the place. There were plenty of hidden entrances, Niera knew, but where they were exactly, she could not recall entirely.

She resisted the urge to slap her forehead at her lack of memory from so long ago. Niera sighed softly though. Her life had been very lonely after Hong Zhi died. The light that guided her through her life had been snuffed out, like a candle. The path she walked since was dark.

But it was not as dark as she had feared. Yin Di was never too far from her, guiding her subtly with his silver light through the darkness. She would protect that light, no matter what.

Niera tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword. Yin Di steadily drew closer, and somewhere behind him was some of Red Shield's members and Yin Di's forces, and behind them were the rest. Niera had no way of communicating with anyone, except to Yin Di through telepathy. No doubt he would have forwarded the information on Ianna's defensive rings to his forces so they would be prepared when they arrived.

She turned her attention back on her own situation, frowning as she desperately tried to come up with a plan of attack. Ianna and her Chevaliers would soon be able to detect Yin Di's approaching presence and that of Red Shield. It would not be a surprise attack at all if Niera's team were discovered too quickly. Joseph needed Niera and Yin Di to be within the underground labyrinth before the Ianna and her Chevalier's discovered Niera and Red Shield.

_So I need to mask Yin Di and Red Shield's presence,_ she thought with simplicity. _But how do I do that? I don't have the energy to mask the presence of so many._ Niera heaved a sigh of defeat.

"_You are over-complicating the situation, Ni Er," _Hong Zhi once chided her when she played a strategic game against him. She was fourteen at the time. _"Do not just always look at this side. Look at the opposing side. Use them to your advantage."_

Niera turned her sad, purple gaze to the dull sky. _Use the opposing side to my advantage._

She thought for a moment, looking at it from another view point, and the answer came to her.

"_See,"_ Hong Zhi then praised. _"It is never as complicated as it looks when you take a different perspective. Don't be too blockheaded. Expand your mind!"_

Niera smiled and her eyes narrowed. _Wrap Ianna, Freya and Annabel in a cocoon of telepathic energy. Block them from each other, just as Ianna has done so to Joseph and Ahel._

With that sorted, she sat down cross-legged and rested her naked sword across her lap, from knee to knee. She brought her hands together in a meditative state and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and exerted her will.

It was as if her conscious expanded out beyond her physical body and she became a concept, and something like the air. Her awareness sunk through the ground beneath her and into the great labyrinth of the necropolis below. She split her awareness into great threads, like a spider's web and searched for the vibrations of her enemies' minds.

She found the first one. Its unstableness and violence was temporarily smothered in strange enjoyment, the smell of scones tickled Niera's senses.

Niera brushed it from her mind and engulfed Annabel's awareness in Niera's subtle telepathic block. She moved onto Freya who was very close to Annabel. It was harder to find Freya, but like Annabel, a tiny shard of their mental defences had been left down. They did not suspect that Niera would be able to find them.

With the two Chevaliers cut off mentally from their Queen and the other higher Chiropteran, Niera moved her attention to Ianna.

She was surprisingly easy to find. A sliver of triumph had slackened her mental defences as well.

A pang of panic struck Niera. Was she too late? Had Ianna achieved what she wanted? Were Ahel and Kylia dead, with Joseph's allegiance now towards Ianna?

_No!_ Niera thought in sudden anger. It was not something she would allow.

Reining back her anger, she focused harder, exhausting her mental energy as well as her physical energy. However, she still felt Joseph's presence, and Ahel's and Kylia's. Niera almost breathed in a sigh of relief. Joseph was still buying time.

But he would run out of options soon.

Niera opened her eyes and hung her head. She was so tired. Setting up the telepathic barriers was the hardest part. Now she just needed to continue focusing on it and feeding it a steady stream of energy, something which she was now having trouble maintaining. She needed blood.

_I'm fine! I can handle this! _She thought furiously, grinding her teeth, trying to convince her body of what her conscious mind chanted. It was hard.

A soft touch rested against her shoulder. "Niera."

Niera's head jerked up, recognising that voice and touch instantly. "Y –"

Yin Di placed a finger against her lips for silence. Seeing him brought relief and joy to Niera's suddenly fluttering heart. His touch, no matter where or how faint, always made her feel the same, always made her feel safe and wish for more.

He glanced around, ensuring that the Chiropteran were not nearby. "How long have you been here? There are dead Chiropteran everywhere but more keep appearing," he whispered.

"They're all underground," Niera said in a hushed tone. "The necropolis underneath is like an ancient city. You avoided the British marines patrolling the area?"

Yin Di nodded. "But it won't be long before they realise someone has snuck through their defences. Saya and her team will most likely encounter them. That will give Kanade's team the chance to penetrate through – though that depends on who arrives first and how much time separates them."

"How much longer before they arrive. Joseph won't be able to hold out for much longer."

"A few more hours. But even when they arrive, Ianna will know beforehand. They don't understand just how powerful she is."

Niera shook her head. "I surrounded Ianna, Freya and Annabel in a cocoon of telepathic energy. They will not be able to sense Red Shield when they arrive. They cannot even communicate with each other with that block."

Yin Di's grey eyes saw right through her. "You used her tactic against her."

Niera returned his gaze, before she then looked down, her eyelids drooping. She was so tired. Yin Di pulled her towards him so her head rested on his shoulder.

"Take my blood, Niera," he murmured.

"No," Niera croaked. If she did, then she would gain strength while Yin Di would lose strength.

"I can feel the telepathic energy of yours that surrounds this place. It is . . . huge. You need my blood to sustain yourself and for when we face Ianna and her Chevaliers," he said gently.

Niera frowned slightly. "How? How can you feel it?" She whispered. "No one . . . should . . ."

She felt his hand stroke her hair. "I am more than just your Chevalier, Niera. I am also your lover, your husband."

Niera could not say anything to that. She closed her eyes, letting Yin Di's presence, his scent, envelop her. The sweet freshness of his blood beneath the smoothness of his moonlight skin saturated her senses. The blood pulsed within his neck.

Her throat burned with dryness.

Niera wrapped her arms around him and turned her head slightly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly with guilt. Her lips parted, her fangs lengthened and sank into his neck. Yin Di winced as her fangs pierced his skin and entered through the flesh and wall of the carotid artery that pulsed in his neck. She drew his blood out, its sweetness caressing her tongue, its scent inhaled into her lungs, its heat soothed her throat.

She needed more. She wanted more. It was an addictive drug, one that saturated her parched thirst and filled her with returning power. More power – she wanted more power –

Niera drew back abruptly, panting and held her arm out, pressed against Yin Di's chest to ensure he did not come closer.

He frowned in concern. "Niera. I know that is not enough for you."

She clamped her other hand over her nose and mouth, eyes narrowed with her resistance to the intense desire to sate her thirst completely. Her eyes glowed brightly, drawn to the two puncture marks on his neck where his blood flowed freely beneath.

"Cover your neck, Yin Di," she hissed, her voice strained as she dragged her gaze away. "This is enough. I am already feeling stronger. You need to have enough strength to fight as well."

Yin Di's eyes were unwavering, before he then complied and pressed a hand to his neck. Soon enough, the alluring smell of his blood dissipated in the air, followed by Niera's dying and fading desire to drink it.

She brought her hand away and let out the breath she had been holding. "I cannot take as much as I would like to," she murmured in guilt, looking up and meeting his eyes. "It drains you, Yin Di, and I know it hurts you. As my only Chevalier, you are the only one I rely on. It pains me to hurt you, to take your blood to sate my thirst."

Yin Di placed a hand against her cheek and smiled. "Such an understanding wife. Even if you took all the blood you needed from my body right now, I would still have more than enough strength to fight."

"Liar," Niera mumbled.

Yin Di chuckled softly before he then looked back. "Soon," he said softly. "They will be here soon."

* * *

Karasu drew her arrow back from the decapitated Chiropteran she had just shot and stabbed it through the thick heart of another that pounced towards her from behind. That one staggered back and she pulled the arrow back, knocking it to her bow, spinning around, drawing, and releasing it to hit her third target in the head.

Her Queen took the chance to then decapitate those two with her wakizashi in two swift swipes.

"Argh!" Karasu growled. "It's such a pain that your blood doesn't crystallise them!"

"Agreed," Kanade grunted, throwing her wakizashi forward. "I can't understand why!" The spinning short sword sliced through the neck of another Chiropteran and stabbed into a tree, while blood gushed from the stump at the neck of the blood-thirsty monster.

The two sped forward together, drawing their arrow and wakizashi and continued forward with inhuman speed, leaving the path behind open and clear for Tony and the lesser members of Red Shield. The humans rode on quad bikes for speed over the tricky terrain that they traversed. They were slower than Karasu and Kanade, therefore the Queen and Chevalier cleared a path for them over the terrain so they wasted as little time as possible.

Karasu felt her heart beat quicker than usual. She had killed a fair number of Chiropteran during her five years as a Chevalier – or so she thought. The amount she had killed in the past few days was already the same equivalent that she had accumulated in her five years of this new life. This was the first time she was getting involved in a serious situation involving Chiropteran. She knew that there was no guarantee that she would return alive or in one piece. She would be fighting like never before, beside her Queen, beside her friend.

She was thrilled and exhilarated.

* * *

Joseph dawdled as much as he could without making Ianna begin to suspect his motives, nodding along to whatever she was saying about the new life he would have under her 'care'. His muscles trembled with nervousness and the stress on his mind was colossal. It took everything he had to swallow and bury his fear.

If he failed, he, Kylia and their Queen would be slaughtered in a heartbeat. Thinking of Ianna's rage at his betrayal made his mouth go dry in terror.

He looked up at the ceiling of the ancient passageway. Above were hundreds of tons of rock and earth, entombing him deep underground. However, above all that, somewhere was Niera. He could not feel her presence at all, not even Yin Di's if he was nearby. They had concealed themselves better than Joseph ever could. It came with centuries of experience.

_Please hurry, Niera,_ Joseph thought in desperation. _I can't stall for much longer._


	12. Chapter 11

**7 and a half pages**

**A/N: 50 reviews at last! Thank you all so much! I never thought I would get this many reviews for one of my stories. Next stop, 100!  
**

**Response to the latest reviews from User 627 and Nalael - It may seem unfair, that it's 5 Queens V 1, but it's not about numbers. It's about skill. Ianna isn't exactly your average Chiropteran Queen. Hopefully you will see that as you read through the story.  
**

**And so Chapter 11 is up! I wanted to get this out sooner, again, but I've been stuck watching Wimbledon during the week. Murray finally won the championships!  
**

**The fighting finally begins :D This is the first time I've written fight scenes that don't involve magic though -.- so it was really hard as my speciality is fight scenes with pure magic. Hopefully you enjoy the chapter and hopefully I've met with expectations. Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Niera and Yin Di stood and glanced around corners to the clearing that was in front of them. Saya's presence was close, but because of that, Niera also felt Freya and Annabel move. The two Chevaliers came closer, up from the depths of the necropolis beneath.

"Freya and Annabel will reach us first," Yin Di murmured.

Niera tsked under her breath. "Then we shall meet them. Saya will join us very shortly nonetheless."

The couple prepared themselves mentally. Saya's team was close, and Kanade was not too far behind. Niera and Yin Di would have to wait until then.

The two of them took a deep breath and stepped out into the clearing. Mist was beginning to descend from the dim sky. Niera could feel the fine and delicate droplets gently breathe against her skin. It was comfortingly cool.

They stood in silence. Niera's sword had remained drawn while Yin Di's hands stayed tucked in the pockets of his trench coat. He would take his weapon out when the fighting began.

Gradually, the Chiropteran spotted them and snarled in response, prowling closer until they surrounded the two in a distant ring. Their beady red eyes leered at them hungrily and with the animalistic desire to consume them.

Niera felt Yin Di tense beside her and heard the faint chink of his chains from beneath his coat. The killing intent of the Chiropteran was heavy and thick in the air.

"Half and half," Niera said under her breath, gripping the hilt of her sword tighter. Yin Di nodded. The Chiropteran crouched, ready to pounce and Niera prepared herself, her eyes glowing eerily. Just before the Chiropteran lunged, Niera felt two more presences, presences that commanded the Chiropteran to hold their ground.

"There will be no need – yet," Annabel said, her voice surprisingly low, which sent shivers down Niera's spine. The little Chevalier was angry, very angry. She stood atop a boulder, looking down on Niera and Yin Di. Within her hands she held her two choppers. They were such old weapons now, her first and last. There was a terrible rumour and myth surrounding Annabel's choppers . . .

"I'm impressed that you were able to tell that we were here, despite the telepathic block I put around you, Freya and Ianna," Niera said coolly.

"Vibrations," Freya murmured, emerging from the shadows of the Chiropteran that ringed them. "It is not your vibrations I feel, no, you both are far too old and experienced to fall so easily to that." She turned her face up. "I feel others, including that young man. They are very near." In the distance, they could hear the sound of rapid gunfire.

"How did you find this place?" Annabel demanded.

"I have been to the Northern Necropolis before," Niera said, her voice smooth. "The Southern is not much different."

"That still doesn't explain how you reached this place," Annabel snarled. She suddenly gasped. "Joseph! The cowboy led you here!"

Niera's expression remained impassive, not giving anything away, not confirming nor denying Annabel's claim. "Do my sisters know I am here?" She asked instead. Annabel's jaw clenched in response.

No, they did not. Her telepathic block was successful.

Freya drew her sword. "You will not get past us."

Niera ran her palm along the edge of her sword, letting her blood trickle down the blade. "I _will_ have Ahel returned to me."

"She will be dead before you ever reach her!" Annabel shrieked. The little girl leapt from the boulder, soaring through the air to them and at the same time, the Chiropteran darted forth at once. Yin Di's sickle traced a burning line up her forearm and Niera jumped. His chains swooped beneath her feet in a great circular arc, like a tornado. The sickle slashed through the ankles of the surrounding Chiropteran and they howled in pain as their feet were severed from their lower legs. The attack landed them on the ground, like a wave breaking along a beach.

Simultaneously, Annabel brought her arms back, and then struck forward as she reached Niera. Niera raised her sword and sword and choppers met with a shuddering, teeth-shattering clang of force. She swiped her sword forward with a swift push that propelled Annabel back. The little girl crashed into a falling Chiropteran and the two collided with a boulder, turning it to rubble.

The Chiropteran screeched as Niera's blood – that coated Yin Di's sickle – seeped through the stumps of their ankles and into the blood vessels, crystallising them from down up.

Niera spun around and her sword clashed against Freya's. Freya twisted Niera's sword down in an attempt to disarm her, but she failed. Niera brought the motion under her control, drawing her sword back slightly, and then slashing up. Freya jerked her head back and the tip of Niera's sword skimmed through strands of Freya's hair.

Freya took a few steps back, her jaw set in grim determination.

"You know you cannot beat me in swordsmanship, Freya," Niera said.

"Tsk. The skills of an English Lord cannot be compared to that of a Chinese Emperor," Freya said in loathing. "Annabel, swi –"

She stopped abruptly and turned her head to the side. Niera did the same. Their eyes landed on two young women: Hibiki and Victoria.

"You denounce the might of the British against the Chinese?" Victoria said dryly in disappointment. "Do you know nothing of its history?"

Freya swiped her sword to the side. "I know more than any of you, for I _made_ its history."

Victoria held no weapon, which made Niera slightly curious, while Hibiki held a blood-dripping ninjato in her left hand. Her eyes glowed red, the same red as Saya's. Hibiki's childish expression had been put away, replaced by seriousness and underlying fear and nervousness.

_She may a Chiropteran Queen, but she is an infant in the face of my sisters and I,_ Niera thought in cold pity. _She and Victoria are still not enough against Freya and Annabel._

Saya and Haji's presence broke through the ring of human defence and Yin Di took a step back towards Niera, keeping his eyes on Annabel all the while as she kicked the crystallised Chiropteran out of the way.

_: Now is our chance, Niera,_ Yin Di said.

Almost on cue, Saya and Haji seemingly materialised close to Hibiki and Victoria.

"Niera! Yin Di!" She shouted, drawing her sword. Niera nodded to herself in approval and took her chance.

_: Let's go, Yin Di!_

* * *

Victoria watched, shocked, as Queen and Chevalier suddenly turned their backs on Freya and Annabel, a huge gamble and ridiculous exposure of their defences. It was enough to cause Freya and Annabel to lunge forward, taking the chance while it was there. But they were not fast enough.

Niera and Yin Di sped back the way they came, in between Hibiki, Saya, Victoria and Haji.

"Wait! Where are you –?!" Hibiki was cut off as they saw the split moment before Niera and Yin Di vanished from their perspective. Niera's purple eyes glanced back at the four Red Shield members. They glowed a rich amethyst, swirling with ancient and deep power. It was not a glance of apology for leaving them behind, nor a glance of intimidation and scorn. It was the frightening glance of command.

The wind whooshed past with the couple's passage. Victoria felt her mind pause with stunned shock. Niera's unspoken command to the four of them was obeyed against their will. The sharp clash of metal on metal shocked Victoria back to the present. Freya and Annabel collided with Saya and Hibiki with a force that sent Saya sliding back, digging her feet into the ground, and Hibiki was pushed back sharply by Freya, enough to make the girl stagger and swing her arms back as she lost her balance.

Freya's blind eyes stared straight ahead, emotionless, but her jaw was set in anger. She swung her sword towards Hibiki and Victoria gritted her teeth with a sharp breath. Hibiki was too young to die yet. It may be four against two, but the two opponents were stronger than any one of the four individually.

Victoria struck forwards with both hands. The tips of her fingers caught Freya's shoulder and waist, blocking the nerves in the right places with practices hands. It was enough to make Freya's body hold its current position for too long, giving Victoria the chance for her palms to meet the young woman and sent her crashing past Haji.

Behind them, Niera and Yin Di separated and looped back on themselves around the outside. They had used Saya and Hibiki as a distraction, enough to hold Freya and Annabel in place while they went to save whoever they had been trying to save for the past one hundred years.

Haji swung his cello case, using it as a great shield to propel Annabel back. The little girl flipped backwards through the air and landed in a crouch. The dorsal aspect of her hand bled slightly and she licked it, like a cat.

"Oh? She cut me," she sighed sickeningly with a warped smile. "The young Queen Saya is not so young after all. But," she held out her hand for them to see. The slash across the metacarpals healed over. "You are not very bright, are you, Saya? You did not coat your sword with your blood."

Freya climbed gracefully back to her feet. "The older generation of Queens know not to draw their swords without a coating of blood along their blades," she murmured. "You have failed to learn correctly from your ancestors."

Hibiki rushed at Freya, swinging her ninjato. Freya raised her sword, blocking the attack.

"You dare say such a thing to Saya!" She snarled in ferocity, her eyes blazing bloody red. To see Hibiki make such an expression was shocking. The bubbly, naïve and childish girl within was nowhere to be seen. "I will have your head!"

Freya pushed her back, sending her flying into Victoria's arms, which initially had no intention of catching her Queen.

"Unlikely," Freya said flatly.

Saya and Haji lunged for Annabel together, leaving Victoria and Hibiki to face Freya. Victoria moved Hibiki to her side so she was not in the way and clicked the joints of her hands and shoulders.

"You seem unfazed by our comments," Freya said.

"Indeed," Victoria breathed. "I am not a person who cares about others."

Freya's impassive expression twisted into a slight smirk. "That won't last long," she whispered. She turned her blind gaze to Hibiki. "You do not give your Chevalier any orders?"

Hibiki straightened, her expression softened slightly with a touch of sadness. "I know when something is a lost cause," she said quietly.

Victoria ignored Hibiki's comment and shot forward, her foot sliding forward across the ground for Freya's feet. Freya jumped up easily and Victoria's hand flashed out. The enemy was blind so she could not possibly know of that attack, but Freya knew and Victoria's eyes narrowed as Freya's foot swished around to kick her hand out of the way.

"Do not think I will let your strikes touch me so easily, not when you can paralyze one with just a light touch," the blind girl said as she landed and Hibiki appeared behind her, bringing her ninjato in for a deadly slash. It was blocked as Freya brought her hand and sword behind her back, spun around and swiped Hibiki away. But Freya's back was now open and so Victoria rained down punches and kicks. Hibiki recovered her footing and attacked from all angles.

Victoria could not believe it as Freya moved in confusing spins to meet both of their attacks from both sides. The girl was blind! How could she be this good? She blocked both their attacks from all angles.

"How?" Hibiki grunted, twisting Freya's sword arm up so her torso was undefended. Victoria darted forward, seeming like she was about to attack from the front when she changed her path and attacked from the side. Freya's leg came around like a whip, which Victoria ducked under and struck her other leg.

It caused Freya's other leg to buck and she fell to the side. Victoria pounced, her hand grabbing Freya's head and slammed it into the dirt, causing the ground to crack with force. Triumph bloomed in Victoria's heart from finally landing a hit on the English Chevalier, ready to move out of the way at the last minute as Hibiki's ninjato came down on Freya's head.

"How?" Freya repeated, her aura changing. Violent killing intent split the air and Victoria gasped. She had let her emotions get the better of her.

Freya's hand flashed out, throwing dust into Victoria's face. Victoria made a startled sound as she was momentarily blinded.

_Get out of the way. Move back, now! _Her instinct shouted desperately. She was blind. She could not see!

Victoria moved back abruptly, feeling the edge of Freya's sword skim her temple. A split second later, she heard a small gasp from Hibiki.

Victoria blinked the dust from her eyes, her jaw set in anger. Freya was standing, and blood dripped from Hibiki's free hand.

"How can I fight better than you, especially when I am blind?" Freya echoed Hibiki's demand. "Three things: age, experience, and sound, therefore vibrations." She stood, looking calm, but she favoured one leg, the one that Victoria had not touched. It appeared that her practiced strikes had worked in numbing Freya's left leg. "You rely on sight and scent more so than the other senses. Sight barely has an awareness of 180 degrees, while sound is 360 degrees. No matter where you are, I can feel you. Even while in the air, I can still hear the wind of the attacks."

Victoria smirked and attacked again. "That is a rather unusual advantage. Unfair almost."

"Says the one who can permanently paralyze a person with just a slight touch of the fingertips," Freya countered, moving to attack Hibiki. "A frightening fighter indeed, one that earns my respect – if you were not such a disgrace as a Chevalier."

Hibiki's blade met Freya's, sending the blind girl skidding back and gripping her sword wrist in faint pain. "You have some nerve, saying that to my Chevalier," Hibiki growled.

"I have a right to do so," Freya said back, squeezing her wrist to ease the ache from Hibiki's strike. "There is no loyalty, no care. As a Chevalier, she is a failure."

Hibiki struck again with enough force to send Freya skittering back like before. "You judge too quickly, Chevalier!" She snarled.

Freya smirked and kicked Hibiki at the waist, sending the young Queen crashing through boulders. The blind girl turned to Victoria. "I do not need to know you to be able to tell. We originate from the same land. Do you not find that those of the same country have an affinity with each other?"

Victoria gave a side smile. "Perhaps."

Freya lunged and Victoria brought her hand up. The sword stabbed straight through it, making Victoria wince only ever so slightly. It had been her intention though. Her fingers closed around the hilt of Freya's sword and her hand that held it, gripped, and threw Freya over her head to her Queen. Hibiki was already standing.

Freya flipped and Hibiki engaged her in sword play. It was a sight to behold. Metal clanged and swiped, and the two dodged, blocked and countered. It was a deadly dance where both fighters took turns on being the offence and defence. Strike, step, parry. Strike, step, parry.

"You fight well for one so young," Freya praised. She then smiled disturbingly. "But not as well as your Chevalier." She disarmed Hibiki, sending her ninjato arching overhead. Killing intent pierced the air and Victoria's eyes widened. Freya swung her sword, slicing through the air for Hibiki's neck. Hibiki's eyes were still on her ninjato.

She was about to be beheaded.

"_There is no loyalty, no care. As a Chevalier, she is a failure."_

Victoria blinked. A gust of wind sighed past. Sword met sword. Blue eyes glowed in anger.

"Kanade nee-chan," Hibiki gasped.

Kanade pushed Freya back. The blind girl suddenly cartwheeled back further as a series of arrows punched into the ground where she had been a split moment before. Karasu landed not too far away. The sound of quad bikes buzzed in the air.

"Reinforcements?" Freya said dully.

"Kanade, what are you doing here so soon?" Hibiki asked frantically from behind Kanade's protective stance. Those blue eyes were hard and cold, her expression matching the emotion within her eyes.

_They glow just likes hers – like Diva's,_ Victoria thought silently.

"Go," Kanade commanded. "Karasu and I will take over. Follow Niera and Yin Di into the labyrinth. They will need help with taking on the amount of Chiropteran and marines down there."

Gun fire and roars reverberated through the atmosphere. Victoria tsked under her breath. There were Chiropteran and UK forces both below and above the ground. She did not wait for Hibiki's agreement or for Kanade to reinforce that order. Victoria moved out towards the entrance of one of the secret entrances. It would be more beneficial to her to not face that Chevalier or be in Kanade's presence. The Chevalier was too difficult to face for now, and Kanade's eyes . . .

Old anger blossomed in her soul and she pushed those eyes from her mind. She did not want to be reminded. Instead, she threw her arm out to take the bullets meant for Tony as he joined her. The two, with Hibiki close behind, rushed into the darkness of the labyrinth, and let their senses guide the way to the three ancient Queens within.

* * *

Ianna stopped walking and turned her gaze to the frozen mud ceiling above. Joseph felt his heart sink and fall silent in dreadful dismay and defeat. Ianna had noticed the commotion above.

What was he to do? Niera had not given him any indication yet that she was ready. Would Joseph have to try and free Kylia and Ahel by himself without aid? But he was just one man, one man surrounded by an enemy's army.

Ianna's yellow gaze turned on Joseph, beginning to glow in the dark with sudden fury as she realised he had betrayed her.

Joseph's hands flashed to his guns.

_: Now, Joseph! _Niera's mental voice split his skull. _Leave Ianna and Ahel to me!_

Ianna's hand caught Joseph over the chest, propelling him into the wall and through it, out the other side with rubble and the broken bones of those buried within it. Humans – marines – spun around in the passageway and pointed their rifles at Joseph.

"You sly bastard!" Ianna bellowed, stepping up to the hole in the wall. "You lead _Niera_ here?!"

Joseph grunted, pressing a hand to his chest and scrambled to his feet. He chuckled, but it sounded like a dying man's cough.

"My apologies, Ianna," he wheezed. "But as Niera and Yin Di have said over the past century, my loyalties and heart will only ever belong to one person – and that is Ahel!"

Ianna screamed in fury. Joseph grabbed the closest marine to him and pulled him in front. Ianna's hand punched out of the man's back, splattering Joseph with blood. She threw the man's body to the side and Joseph made a frantic run for it, dodging in between the marines as they opened fire.

Some of the bullets hit, but they barely slowed Joseph down. His desperation and terror drove him forward, faster and harder than what he had ever expected of his body.

The rapid fire of bullets illuminated the dark passageway in flickering light and deafened his sensitive hearing. It was like multiplying the speed and consistency of a thunderstorm by a couple thousand. But that was not loud enough to drown out the shouts and screams of the men behind as they were cut down by Ianna's hands. The marines turned on their mistress as she slaughtered them without mercy.

A telekinetic wave hit him from behind at the same time he heard a wave of marines yelp. He, along with them, was flung forward, except they were directed into the wall, hard enough to cause their bodies to implode against the surfaces.

The air reeked of death, blood and gore.

Joseph rolled back onto his feet, his head missing Ianna's blood-covered hand that plunged through his hat and into the ground where his head had just been. Joseph cartwheeled back, breathing sharply and opened fire on Ianna. She raised an arm so the first round pummelled into the forearm. The force of the shots did not do much, but the strength of the bullets caused her to jerk back slightly. Red Shield bullets were indeed the best he could find for this kind of combat – combat which he felt he was not ready to deal with.

Ianna's bright yellow eyes blazed with rage. Three hundred years his senior, he knew he could not take such a Queen on one-on-one.

She swiped her bullet-pummelled arm to the side and Joseph swung his arm up. With the motion, his arm transformed into its Chiropteran form. It was very similar to what normal Chiropteran's looked like, except it was more streamlined.

His claws lengthened suddenly and flashed out, like five, very fine blades. He slashed Ianna across the face, causing her head to whip to the side.

Just for the tiniest of moments, he felt cruel joy at having drawn Ianna's blood. However, that was quickly replaced by overwhelming fear and Ianna slowly turned her head back to Joseph. There was no emotion on her face at all, except for within those blazing eyes.

The five lines of cut flesh began to heal over, and her pupils narrowed into slits, the slits of a reptile – of a demonic monster from the past.

Panic erupted up Joseph's body.

_RUN!_ His instinct screamed.

Joseph shot again, aiming for her head. Ianna's hand caught the bullets and with her other, she swiped up. Joseph grabbed a mangled body from the wall and threw it in Ianna's path. Her hand smacked it out of the way and back into the wall, strong enough to cause the remainder of the body to explode completely and for the wall to collapse.

Panting, Joseph ran. He ran for his life.

Ianna was not someone he could take alone – ever. The age gap was just too great. They always said that with age came experience. But he never really believed it until now. He had watched Kylia, Hwayeom and Yin Di stand their ground against Ianna before in the past, once each, because they were all of similar ages. They had a skill that he could never catch up to, no matter how long he would live and practice and fight for.

However, despite how skilled they were, they still could not win. He had watched Hwayeom die by Ianna's sword. He had watched Kylia be defeated by her power. He had watched Yin Di become outwitted by her skill.

Only two people could stand on equal footing with Ianna. But Ahel could not do that, not now when she had not fought for a hundred years. Ianna was far outnumbered, but that did not mean that she was at a complete disadvantage. Red Shield's members were too young, lacking skill and expertise. Saya and Haji could handle it but they were only two people. The others were too young, too inexperienced. Kylia and Ahel were bound and in no fighting shape. Joseph, Yin Di and Niera were the best available, but they were surrounded by an army of the brutal marines and cannibalistic Chiropteran.

Joseph darted around the corners of the labyrinth, barely noticing the twists and turns of the maze as his mind was set on one thing – escaping Ianna's wrath. His breath came in rags, not because he was exhausted, far from it. It was the stress and panic that was rising in his blood. Ianna was determined to kill him. Her yellow eyes haunted his shadowed steps, forever in his mind, watching, stalking.

He ran down another passageway, endlessly feeling Ianna's overwhelming presence crush against his mind, beating him down. His eyes suddenly widened as he felt the faint power of another telekinetic wave. There was no time to react as the wall beside him exploded brutally, sending him crashing violently through the other, and the next two after that.

Joseph cried out slightly in pain as he landed heavily on the ground. The ground beneath him cracked, giving him enough time to curse and tense, before he fell straight through.

He met the ground hard, and the tons of rubble the fell with him, piled on top of the man, pounding him down until he was buried in crushing and stifling darkness. Desperate, he wildly pushed the rubble from him, constantly feeling Ianna's presence draw closer. Panic almost had complete control over him.

His hand perforated through the surface of the rubble, followed by his arm, shoulder, and then head, feeling his broken bones already begin to heal rapidly. There were more presences close to him, extremely close. In fact, they were barely a few metres away.

Those presences roared. Chiropteran.

_Fuck it! _Joseph thought in sudden anger, snarling. _I don't have time for this!_

Gun shots clapped through the still air, beating against the Chiropteran. Joseph blinked, realising that a light from behind him was quickly growing, the light of a lamp.

Two small figures shot past him, leaving a trail of lilac light. One of them punched the first Chiropteran in the chest with a force and speed that released a sonic boom to thunder through the air. The Chiropteran that was hit was not propelled back, instead, a hole through the centre of its chest was vaporised in an instant, removing its heart entirely.

The second figure swung her ninjato, decapitating the second and third Chiropterans.

Joseph staggered out from the rubble, staring at the three people who were with him in the small chamber. It was Hibiki, Victoria and Tony.

He did not feel relief at seeing them.

"What are you doing here?!" He demanded, his eyes darting up at the gap in the ceiling from where he fell. "Ianna is pursuing me. If you're here when she reaches me then she will kill you!"

"I doubt she can take all four of us on," Tony said, reloading his gun and carefully running over to where the others stood.

"You are too naïve!" Joseph hissed, leaping from the mound of rubble and hurrying them into another passageway with haste. "Ianna is not your average Chiropteran Queen. You think we have better numbers, but skill always prevails over quantity!"

Hibiki stopped him and forced him to meet her eyes. They glowed blood red. Her aura swirled with the power of a Chiropteran Queen, demanding the respect and loyalty that all Queens created. And whether he was Ahel's Chevalier or another's, his blood stirred within him, answering the raw and pure power of the Queen that stood before him.

There was no childishness within her gaze. She was nothing like before back on Red Shield's HQ. He looked at her, looked at her properly. She was young, but the power within her was old, tracing back through a line of very old Chiropteran Queens. His Chiropteran instinct wanted to bow in submission to her, and kill her at the same time.

"Do you still think I am weak?" Her voice vibrated with power.

But not as much as Ianna and her sisters.

He stared at her for a long time, before he exhaled slowly. "No," he whispered.

"Then we will face Ianna together," she said.

Joseph sucked in a small breath and was about to shake his head, when he noticed that Ianna's presence was not drawing closer. He turned his head in the direction of where she was, to feel that she was moving away. She was moving towards Ahel.

His heart sped up in terror.

"We must follow her!" Hibiki announced, about to take off when Joseph grabbed her arm.

"No," he said sharply, feeling two other presences also head in Ahel's direction.

Hibiki stared at him. "What? Why?"

Relief began to replace the panic in Joseph's heart. He almost grinned. "Niera will take care of Ianna," he murmured. "A reunion between the three sisters." He took the lead, dashing down the passageway. "There is still someone else I must save!" He called behind him. "I will need your help!" It was tight, the whole situation was ridiculously tight, but it looked like he may make it.

The three ran after him. "Who?" Tony questioned, his voice bouncing off the walls.

This time Joseph did smile. "Kylia. Ahel's second Chevalier."


	13. Chapter 12

**8 pages  
**

Chapter Twelve

Tony ran surprisingly fast for a human, maintaining his speed with impressive stamina. But he was still not fast enough. He snorted mentally to himself. _Being a Chevalier sure has its advantages._

He hurried after the three in front of him. They had slowed in order to ensure that Tony kept pace with them, but Tony could see the impatience growing in Joseph's posture. It made Tony _almost_ wish that he were a girl, because then it would be easy for them to pick him up and then run at full speed. However, his pride as a man would never allow that, and so he had to struggle to keep up with his three superiors, in both age and combat.

He clutched his handgun tight in one hand and the torch in the other. It took everything he had to keep his fear buried within his soul. In this necropolis was filled with Chiropteran. He could hear their gobbled groans through the thick and frozen mud walls. The sounds were always the same, always bringing back the flashes of memories from that horrific night twelve years ago.

The one responsible for burning down his home was somewhere above him on the surface, fighting Kanade and Karasu. The one responsible for murdering his parents and sister was somewhere within this labyrinth with him.

Tony almost tripped as he recalled Ianna's yellow eyes.

_That murderer, that monster is somewhere here,_ he thought fiercely, feeling his heart flutter in fear and rage. But oh how he wished he could kill her. Oh how he wished he could have his revenge.

Tony glanced at Joseph. That man had dealt with Ianna so many more times than Tony, who had only ever seen her once. Tony heard Joseph's voice waver upon mentioning Ianna. Even that man was terrified of her.

It made Tony feel relieved actually, that Ianna was not following them. But even if she did, they would be able to take her. If was four versus one.

Joseph on the other hand did not seem to think so.

They all ran on and skidded around another corner. Victoria suddenly gasped. "Look out!"

Everything happened at once. Hibiki grabbed Tony's arm, the wall exploded, rubble brushed against Tony's face, Chiropteran roared, gun fire rocketed through the air, and he found himself moved ten metres forward in a split second. His upper arm and shoulder throbbed in agony. Hibiki quickly let go.

"Ack! Shit! My arm!" Tony cursed, clutching at it.

"I'm so sorry, Tony!" Hibiki exclaimed in guilt. "I didn't think! I just wanted to get you out of the way of the blast!"

Tony shook his head and managed a strained smile. "Thanks for that." He winced. "At least . . . my arm . . . isn't broken."

He looked back, still gripping his arm. The pain was beginning to subside.

Joseph and Victoria fought the marines and Chiropteran that poured in through the hole in the wall. The enemy fell in correspondence to Joseph's shots, and Victoria darted in between her opponents, tapping at them across their bodies to either freeze them, or cause them to drop down dead.

There were loads of them, and Tony could see the impatience and desperation growing in Joseph's expression. He was running out of time to save the Chevalier called Kylia.

Tony flexed his arms and transferred his handgun to his unhurt one. He shot the Chiropteran in front of Joseph three times in the head, giving Joseph the chance to kick the Chiropteran in the chest, sending it tumbling back through the other Chiropteran and marines like a bowling ball crashing through the bowling pins.

"Thanks for that!" Joseph called over his shoulder at Tony.

Tony and Hibiki jogged back up to him and Victoria.

"Go!" Tony shouted over the chaos. "Hibiki, Victoria and I will stay behind to keep them at bay! Your fellow Chevaliers need you more than us!"

Joseph met his gaze and gratefulness flitted through Joseph's dark eyes. He grasped Tony's unhurt shoulder.

"Thank you," he said. "As soon as you are finished with these guys, get back up to the surface. If we try to pursue Ianna then there's a good chance she will collapse the necropolis. Niera, Yin Di and I only have time enough to save our specific targets. We cannot save you if you are still trapped in this labyrinth."

Hibiki pushed Joseph to get him going. "I promise I will get us all out as soon as we are done. Don't stay down here any longer than you need to!"

Joseph nodded in thanks, and then disappeared into the darkness, leaving the three Red Shield members behind to hold back the waves of Chiropteran and marines that tried to pursue Joseph.

* * *

Kylia's heart continued to pound within her chest against her ribcage, feeling the stress and panic rise in her blood while her strength continued to evade her. She pressed her eyes shut in impatient despair. Even if she was freed, she would barely have the strength to stand, let alone fight.

The muffled roars of Chiropteran floated to her ears, and the clap of gunshots vibrated through the walls of the chamber and down her chains. Walls of the necropolis were exploding, tunnels were collapsing. A new fear seeped into Kylia's awareness.

What if the whole necropolis collapsed? Burying them all within?

That would not kill her though. It took more than that to kill a Chevalier.

However, her biggest fear remained, and it only continued to grow bigger. Would Ahel be saved in time?

In the darkness, Kylia felt Joseph's and Ianna's presences clash. She felt Ianna – surrounded by a telepathic bubble of fury and rage – pursue Joseph through the labyrinth.

Kylia would have sobbed if she could, her heart desperately trying to deny the growing possibility that Joseph would die tonight by Ianna's hand. However, she blinked when she realised that Ianna's presence then left Joseph at a perpendicular angle. Other presences joined Joseph and Kylia's body sighed with respite that he was still alive, and with allies by what her instinct suggested. Gradually, he drew closer and closer to her.

She dared to hope. Would he be able to set her free after all?

But what about Ahel?

Kylia turned her focus in the direction of Ianna's presence. She could not feel Ahel's direct pull. For decades, Ahel's pull had been in all directions, making it impossible for Kylia to determine a direction. However, Kylia's gut told her with dread that Ianna was moving in the direction of her Queen. Her gut was confirmed furthermore when two more presences were pursuing Ianna's.

For a moment, Kylia stilled to concentrate on those new two. They were old and familiar – very familiar. They were Niera and Yin Di.

Kylia's heart soared.

If Niera and Yin Di were here, then Ianna had another thing coming for her.

* * *

Joseph seemingly flew forwards, keeping one step ahead of the tunnel that was collapsing behind him. The fighting, the explosions of the walls were putting too much of a strain on many of the passages. Despite that, Joseph did not worry too much about whether the ceiling above would crash down on top of him. The necropolis was too big for the entire thing to fall down into the dark abyss.

He kept a part of his mind on Niera and Ianna's presences that were quickly coming together. Joseph had to trust that Niera would make it in time. He had to trust that she would save his Queen.

If she failed though, Joseph would not forgive her, friend or not. His Queen meant everything to him. If Ahel was dead, then there was no purpose in his being alive anymore.

He had to trust that Niera would save Ahel in his place, as he could only save one, and he chose Kylia. Thinking of her made him smile faintly. She was more of a mother than Ahel was. Kylia was the sensible one, the mature one despite her body being frozen at seventeen. But her kind nature was nothing like the sleeping demon within the darkness of her soul. Kylia was the only person he had ever met who had such a drastic bi-polar personality.

The first time he had seen it was a hundred years ago – on the same night that Hwayeom died.

Joseph approached the chamber, but he saw no door from the side he approached at. Therefore he morphed his free arm back into its Chiropteran form, pulled back, and then as he reached the wall, he punched.

The wall caved violently with a massive boom. It was not as loud or as dramatic as the sonic boom punch that Victoria delivered to that Chiropteran further back, but it had the desired effect.

Joseph burst into the chamber and his eyes immediately sought out Kylia in the gloom. He found her dark blue gaze staring back at him.

Earlier, her eyes had almost been unseeing with hopelessness. Now, they were as sharp as the duo blades that she wielded.

Around the chamber, he could feel marines approaching. Joseph ground his teeth and materialised before Kylia, slashing through one side of the chains with his Chiropteran claws. A nauseating bolt jolted through him from the chains, forcing him to stagger back with a hiss.

_What the hell?! _He thought, clutching his arm as it morphed back into its human form without his control. His arm had been completely sapped of his Chiropteran power.

He looked back up at Kylia, his eyes asking the question while he himself could not verbally put it into words yet. With one of Kylia's arms free, she ripped the mask from the lower half of her face.

"The chains," she croaked, yet hearing it sent another jolt through Joseph. Not unpleasant like the chains, but of thrill. It had been too long since he had last heard her voice.

"Ianna has . . . a current running through . . . them. It nullifies Chiropteran . . . power . . . when in physical contact . . ." she said weakly.

Appalled dismay stabbed at his heart. Kylia had been enduring that terrible nausea and weakness for a hundred years?

Angered, he transferred his handgun to his other hand and with his free arm, morphed that one into his Chiropteran form and slashed through the remaining chains, releasing Kylia from her terrible web. Another jolt went through him as his claws shattered the metal of the chains that bound his fellow Chevalier. He winced, but stepped forward to catch Kylia as she fell forward into his arms.

"Kylia!" He said sharply in concern.

She inhaled deeply, as if it was the first time she had taken a deep breath after being starved of air. Joseph stiffened as he detected a slight change in her aura. It took him a split moment to realise she was inhaling the scent of his blood.

"Oi, Kylia," he said uncertainly. "Now isn't the time –"

She raised a limp hand and gripped his arm with startling strength.

_: I don't have the strength to speak verbally,_ her telepathic voice whispered. _Joseph . . . I am in a state of starvation . . ._

Fear tickled the back of his neck. Kylia could not possibly be thinking of taking his blood _now_.

She pulled herself up, startlingly close so her lips almost brushed his neck. Joseph's eyes widened in alarm.

_Not good._

Aspects of the chamber wall exploded, spraying dust and rubble in all directions. Joseph glanced coldly behind him as marines poured in through the gaps. He had a split second to react before shouts and gunfire erupted in the chamber.

Grabbing Kylia's arms, he darted half way across the chamber and then seemingly threw her into the marines. She reacted fast, her blue eyes beginning to glow red with terrible thirst. Her desire for blood switched from Joseph to the closest marine to her.

Joseph defended her as her fangs sank into the man's neck. He screamed and fired in all directions, killing his fellow marines without realisation. More blood was spilled, filling the air with its sweet smell. Soon enough, Kylia was killing the marines and draining them of their blood as fast as Joseph was shooting them down. She moved and killed with the same elegance and ferocity as her Chiropteran form.

Indeed it had been too long since he had last seen her and Ahel. A hundred years was sure to have made him forget so many traits of his original comrades. Yet he had not forgotten anything. He knew exactly how Kylia would move, following her strikes with perfect precision.

Oh how he had missed it. If the situation were more light-hearted, he would have flung his arms around her like a little boy embracing the sister he had not seen in years. However, the situation was not light-hearted at all.

Soon, they had killed the marines that had flooded into the hall. They stood over a sea of bodies that floated atop the blood that pooled from the human hearts. The same blood stained Kylia's pale skin through her ripped and aged gothic dress. She was a sight to behold, with her eyes glowing in the gloom. Beautiful in fact.

Kylia reappeared before him and her hand flashed out, smacking him around the face. "Don't stare at me, douche bag! I'm half naked because of this ripped dress. Honestly, no wonder people call you a womaniser."

Joseph staggered back slightly, rubbing his stinging cheek and grinned. "That's Kylia for you. Self-conscious as always," he chuckled. "Feeling less thirsty now, are we?"

She wiped her bloodied lips with a nod, smearing the red life water across her cheek. "Where is my duoblade?"

Before Joseph could answer, the chamber rumbled, as if a demon buried beneath them roared in the deep. Cracks traced themselves across the ground, up the walls and over the ceiling.

"An earthquake?" Joseph growled, narrowing his eyes as fragments of the ceiling began to fall.

"The chamber is being collapsed," Kylia said ominously. "We need to get out."

Joseph put one of his handguns away. "Follow me," he said hastily, dodging around the collapsing ceiling. Kylia followed close behind, leaping over the great boulders that slammed into the ground from above.

The whole thing came crashing down, and further beyond that as they sped through the tunnels that led to the chamber and out. They reached an archway, their final escape, and dived through it into a silent tunnel that remained stable, while the one behind them collapsed entirely.

The pair skidded to a halt and spun around, watching as the tunnel behind them was completely buried. Kylia let out a small sigh of relief.

"They had you surrounded in explosives, and those terrible chains," Joseph said darkly.

"Even if I was buried under all that, there is still a chance that I will survive and find my way out," Kylia breathed.

"It's nice to know that Ianna takes us seriously," Joseph mused and then stretched. "Come on. We need to get out before more of this place falls down on our heads."

Kylia grabbed his arm in panicked urgency, completely ignoring what he just said. "Ahel! Ianna is moving to her right now!"

Joseph winced at her grip. He met her blue eyes. The nightmare of a hundred years ago was reflected in her haunted gaze. Within those sapphire pools was the grief of Hwayeom's death, the hopelessness of failing to protect Ahel, and the loneliness of solitude. She did not want to lose Ahel, not again.

He gently uncurled her fingers from his arm. "It will be fine, Kylia. Niera has gone to stop her, plus, she's with Yin Di."

He took her wrist and pulled her along behind him. "I promised the youngsters from Red Shield that I would get out of the necropolis as soon as I had freed you. We need to get out before Ianna blocks all our chances of escape."

"But –!"

"Even if we did go after Ianna, we would never reach them in time," Joseph interrupted. He stopped and turned to face her. He smiled faintly. "It took me a long time to earn your trust, Kylia. Trust me as you once did. Trust Niera and Yin Di. Believe that they will save our Queen in our place."

He held her gaze, before she sighed softly and looked away, her expression distorting slightly into one of despair.

"Alright," she whispered. "Let's go, before we are buried beneath this tomb."

Joseph smiled, letting go of her wrist. "There is a lot that I must update you on."

"Do explain."

And so he explained the whole situation to her. He told her of everything that had happened after that night a hundred years ago.

* * *

Ahel was now fully awake, despite the constant tiredness that clung to her mind and body. The chains that held her in its web continued to suck at her Chiropteran strength, keeping her weaker than a human. She could not voice any sound with the metal mask that bound her lower face.

For the first time since she had been imprisoned, Ahel looked up and took note of the chamber she was sealed within. The light was dim.

All around her, she could feel the clashes of fighting, of the sparks of life that diminished, and of the death that hung heavily in the air, death from old times, and the death of those that were only just dying now.

Ahel's muscles tensed with anticipation and the burning curiosity of wanting to know what the hell was going on. Through the chains she could feel the vibrations of explosions and of tunnels collapsing. It gave her a good enough indication of just how far underground she was buried. It was deep.

Desperation clawed at her heart and mind. A hundred years had passed, she had counted. It was three years after her capture that she fell into slumber. Six times she had fallen into her hibernation. This was her seventh awakening since she had been imprisoned by her sister.

It had been a hundred years of lonely solitude, a hundred years since she had last heard a voice, last saw her Chevaliers and Niera. It had been a hundred years since she had last fed on blood. A hundred years since Hwayeom's death.

The grief in her heart washed over her. Her thirst for his blood would never be quenched. Her desire to touch him could no longer be fulfilled. Her longing to hear his voice would never come to pass.

How she wanted to wallow in her despair. Her love, her soul mate, was no longer in this world. She was alone.

_: Not alone . . ._

Ahel blinked. _That was Niera's voice,_ she realised.

Her heart rate quickened with desperate hope. This fighting, this chaos and death –

Niera was here somewhere, answering the vision of plea that Ahel had sent out. Ahel dared to hope and feel some measure of happiness. Despite the risks and the danger, Niera had come to set her free.

Her hope was slight. Ianna and her Chevaliers were somewhere near. Dread rattled the bars of her self control. What if Niera did not make it in time?

However, Ahel did not feel as panicked as she was expecting. She could feel Joseph and Kylia somewhere in this underground place. Where this place was, she knew not. And for the moment, it did not matter. All that mattered was that she could feel that Joseph and Kylia were alive. And now, she could feel Kylia's presence move.

For the past one hundred years, Kylia's presence had remained stationary in the same place, never moving, never diminishing or growing. Imprisoned, just like her Queen.

Now though, Kylia was free. Both of Ahel's Chevalier's were free. Ahel wanted to cry tears of joy.

The single door of the chamber, which had never been opened during Ahel's awake periods, finally opened. Ahel held her breath, all the while fighting against the thirst that burned her throat and almost drove her to insanity.

A woman with black hair walked in, Viking sword in hand. Her eyes glowed yellow.

Those yellow eyes swirled with rage.

Ahel's heart sank and her green eyes widened in terror. Ianna was the first to reach her.

The middle sister strode forward, drawing the sword from its sheath and ran her palm along the edge, letting her blood smear over its surface.

Ianna's yellow eyes penetrated Ahel's soul, searing straight through her.

_No! Don't come closer!_

Ianna raised her sword so it was parallel to the ground and pointing straight for Ahel's heart. There was no mercy.

_Niera! Save me, Niera!_

Ianna leant forward, and rushed ahead, leaving lilac light behind in her wake, bloodied sword inching closer to Ahel's heart in fractions of a moment.

Ahel's soul screamed.

Something else moved faster than Ianna's Chiropteran speed. Wind hushed against Ahel's skin; loose black hair passed in front of Ahel's eyes. A sword flashed. Steel clanged against steel.

Niera's sword met Ianna's with a violent clash. The ground beneath them cracked, and Niera swiped Ianna's sword up and out of the way, jerking her head back just enough to avoid the tip of the Viking sword from skimming her cheek. The blade sliced through strands of Niera's hair which fluttered through the air.

With Ianna's sword above her head from Niera's swift parry, Ahel watched as Niera's hand flashed out, catching Ianna over the heart with a thrust that sent her skidding back, tearing up the ground beneath her feet.

Ahel's eyes widened in shock. Niera stood in front of her, eyes swirling a deep amethyst.

"Niera," Ianna hissed viciously.

Ahel stared at her eldest sister. She could not believe her eyes. Was this a dream? Could she be allowed to believe that this was real?

Niera's purple eyes briefly flickered back to Ahel. She smiled. "Sorry we took so long, Ahel."

Tears of overpowering relief filled Ahel's eyes. This really was her dearest sister. She really had come to save her.

"_I will find you, Ahel! No matter how long it takes, I will find and save you!" _Niera's cry from a hundred years ago echoed in her ears.

It was a promise made. And a promise kept.

It was so rare for Niera.

"Joseph led you here," Ianna snarled, straightening. "He is a fool."

"Indeed a fool he is," Niera said coldly. "But you should have known that it would not be much longer before we were all to meet again."

Ahel blinked. All three sisters; all three Chiropteran Queens were together in this chamber, the cloak of death hanging from above. They were the strongest, and they were the oldest.

Ianna's expression was like ice. "You would not have achieved this if it were not for him. Do not make yourself out to be so high and mighty, Niera."

Ahel's eyes darted between her two older sisters, feeling the unbearable tension in the air between the two. What did they mean that Joseph was the one who led them here? What happened to result in the chaos that was raging all around them?

This chamber too, started to rumble and the walls and ceiling began to crack.

"Yin Di," Niera said softly. The man materialised somewhere behind Ahel to her right. He looked no different to the last time she had seen him. His long hair was beautifully white like moonlight, tied slightly differently to how she was used to, with skin as smooth and pale as white silk. His clothing was also different, like Niera. So of course fashion would change over the century that Ahel had been sealed away from society.

Yet something was slightly different about him. The aura around him was . . . colder . . . colder with time and loss. Ahel saw a small void within his eyes, a void that was once filled with his best friend.

Hwayeom.

Everyone had been affected by his death.

"Free Ahel."

Yin Di nodded. Chains clinked.

The desire to kill split the still air of the chamber. "I won't let you!" Ianna snarled, whipping her sword down to her side and lunged forward.

Ahel watched in apprehension with her Chiropteran eyes as Ianna sped towards Yin Di. Niera moved, blocking her path and their swords met again.

"Quickly, Yin Di!" Niera grunted, parrying a violent onslaught of attacks that were as fast as lightning. They were two masters in swordsmanship. "Free Ahel and get back up to the surface! Do not wait for me."

Yin Di slashed through one side of chains when his attention – as well as Ahel's – whipped back to Niera. They both had the same alarm in their expressions. She was going to stay here and fight? Fight against Ianna?!

"Niera –" Yin Di began, not happy with the decision at all. He and Hwayeom were alike. Their love for their Queens gave them the strength and confidence to defy their orders out of concern for them.

However, no matter how much their hearts wished to defy their Queens, their Chevalier blood could not deny the duty to their Queen. In the end, they had to obey.

Yin Di was cut off as Niera's purple eyes glanced back at him. They shone with power; raw, supreme power. For the first time ever, Ahel was struck by a pang of fear of her eldest sister.

Ahel noted in breath-taking awe how Yin Di met that incredible stare directly. Such strength in him. Just like Hwayeom.

In the end, he nodded. Barely a second had passed, and he turned his attention back to Ahel while Niera turned her defence into offence, driving Ianna back down the chamber. Their strikes were so fast, like a handful of coins being dropped constantly onto a table. Their movements were a blur that no Chevalier could hope to keep up with. Their attacks sent out howling gusts of wind and waves of telekinetic energy, cracking the walls, ground and ceiling of the chamber further.

This was not a fight between Chiropteran or even Chevaliers. This was a fight between the two oldest Queens in the world.

Yin Di cut Ahel's last chains and she fell, her weak legs completely giving way beneath her. But Ahel also felt a great breath of liberation escape her as the terrible current that ran through the chains, was at last stopped. The constant nausea began to ease.

Niera's Chevalier caught her before she hit the ground and lifted her in his arms. Never did she think she would be saved by another Queen's Chevalier.

Ahel took her mask off and cast one desperate look back over Yin Di's shoulders as he whisked them away. Slabs of the ceiling began to fall, raining down around the two Queens that fought within.

* * *

The two fought after Yin Di and Ahel escaped. Niera kept fighting to give them enough time to get far enough away, before she then went in for another strike.

Niera's strike was reflected back and in her moment of open defence, she felt Ianna's telekinesis crush down upon her from above. Her sword clanged to the ground and Niera fell to her hands and knees, grunting as she fought against the horrendous force that weighed down upon her.

She struggled to raise her head, and glared up at Ianna through blazing eyes. Her younger sister glared back down, hand held out towards her to reinforce the mental prowess that currently held her prisoner.

"Ahel, Kylia and Joseph may have escaped, but you will not," Ianna said murderously over the deafening booms as the chamber began to collapse. "You may have won this round, but I will have Joseph, and I will kill Ahel and Kylia as I killed Hwayeom. I will destroy all that you hold dear, and Yin Di will be the last, before you."

Niera looked down, her eyes narrowed and a low hiss escaped through her clenched teeth. "I will never let you harm Yin Di."

The telekinetic force grew heavier and Niera gasped, feeling herself get pushed even lower to the shaking ground. Her body was on the verge of being crushed completely, filling her with agony.

"I told you, Niera – I will break you."

Niera's fingers curled into a fist, digging into the dirt of the ground as if her fingers were the blades of knives. The chamber was tumbling down around her. She did not need to look up to feel Ianna walk away, maintaining the crushing telekinetic force on her body.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt hate swirl like a roaring maelstrom within her heart. Her desire to kill Ianna rivalled her love for Yin Di. They were of two extremes.

She opened her eyes and looked up, meeting Ianna's yellow gaze from beyond the chamber door.

It was supposed to be a fight between Ianna and Ahel, with Niera just dragged into it out of duty to protect the youngest sister and bad luck. But it was far from it. Far from it.

This fight, this war, began over five hundred years ago, long before Joseph came into the picture.

A ghostly presence hovered behind Niera. She felt his ghostly black hair sweep over her shoulder, felt his cold, ethereal hand, draped in the emperor's sleeve, touch her cheek.

"_You must learn to let go of the past, Ni Er . . ."_

Niera's expression distorted into furious grief. "I am sorry, Father . . ." she whispered. "I cannot . . ."

She saw Ianna's yellow eyes one last time. And then they disappeared as the eldest Queen was entombed within the ancient necropolis.

* * *

**A/N: I forgot that I wrote a fight scene in one of the earlier chapters with Tony. So now I can say this is the end of my second fight scene. I hope you all enjoyed it :D**


	14. Chapter 13

**7 and a half pages  
**

**A/N: As you see above, I have written the amount of A4 pages this chapter has taken up. I will do this for all my other chapters too (including the ones already out) so if you want, you can count them all up to see how big (or small) this fanfic will be. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, sorry I didn't get 2 chapters of this out this week. I was trying to catch up on two of my other fanfics, playing on Aion, as well as dealing with a lot of real life stuff. Life is so goddamn busy! It's so irritating!**

**And thanks for the reviews so far :) I really hope you enjoyed my last chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it.**

**And now on to the next stage of the story!**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Kanade sat by the window of the towering skyscraper, looking down through the smog at the citizens of Bei Jing below. It had taken the Chinese government many years to begin to realise the impact on health and climate their coal burning was having on the country. They had finally taken action, but it was too late for many of their citizens.

There had been a massive boom in respiratory related illness in the early 2020s, which was still just as large twenty years later. Even though they were building cleaner power plants, it would take decades before the smog of this city rose.

Despite this downside, Kanade was awed by the incredible history and culture of this city, as well as disgusted by the body of Chairman Mao that was still perfectly preserved in that glass coffin as a trophy and the pride of China.

_How could they _worship_ such a brutal man? _She often found herself thinking. _He killed millions of people and destroyed the country, setting it back two hundred years. This country is still recovering from those effects._

Kanade and the rest of Red Shield that had gone to Mongolia, had been back in Bei Jing for a week now, remaining under the roof of Yin Di's power and influence in this city. She had been awed that this skyscraper belonged to him, and according to Joseph, this was just one of quite a few more. It made Kanade feel a number of emotions aside from awe. There was respect, fear, perhaps even envy . . . but also pity. She would never want such power. It was too much, too much responsibility that could so easily be corrupted.

Yet Yin Di did not look like the type of man who was corrupted by greed and power. He was very difficult to read, though. Perhaps Kanade was just reading him wrong? Did it matter?

Not really.

A presence drew close to the door and Kanade looked towards it. A knock followed shortly.

"Kanade," a woman's voice said as the door opened. Karasu poked her head through. "Yin Di is back."

Kanade nodded, following Karasu out of the room and through the incredible building, going down a few floors using the elevator.

Across the phone, David had told Saya to get information on their enemy, Ianna. If they were to fight together, then Red Shield needed to know what they were up against. And for that, everyone had to be gathered.

The two came out into a large and grand corridor, to see Yin Di just passing them, dressed in white shirt, black tie, trousers and shoes, and with a dark coat billowing behind him. He cast them a slight glance and nodded in acknowledgement.

Kanade's breath was taken away for a moment. The dark aura of silent power curled about him like the shadows of dragons. Despite being a Queen, and he being a Chevalier, she felt herself shrink somewhat in his presence.

Thinking as a human, she was certainly inferior and insignificant to him. But as Chiropterans, she was his superior.

Yet it did not feel like that.

"Quickly," he said softly. "The others are getting impatient."

Karasu grabbed her arm and pulled her along behind, snapping her out of her daze. They had to walk quickly to keep up with his strides.

A man, dressed in a black suit, came up to Yin Di's side. "Master Yin Di," he said in greeting. The long white-haired Chevalier took off his coat and handed it to him, all the while still walking.

"Thank you, Lao. Tell the servants to bring tea for all of us."

"Shall I tell them to leave it in the preparation room next door?"

"Yes please."

They quickly came upon a set of double doors as Kanade watched Yin Di's back with thoughtfulness. He looked back at her, sensing her gaze.

"What is it?"

Kanade blinked, and quickly shook her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking that it is odd for a mafia boss to be polite and good mannered towards those that work for them. I guess I'm surprised that you're not a brute, like in the rumours and stories of mafia leaders."

Yin Di raised an eyebrow.

Soft laughter flitted to them. The three of them looked ahead to the double doors. Ahel leant against the frame with her arms crossed. Her expression was open and kind, matching the smile on her lips and within her eyes. But those green eyes . . . it looked like there was something missing, a light, a spark of life – it was lacking it. Within those emerald pools, Kanade thought she could sense the faint hints of loss and sorrow.

"She does have a good point, Yin Di," she said.

Yin Di shook his head in bemusement. "Even if I did treat my employees poorly, I would not be a bad-tempered brute."

"True, true," she chimed, stepping back to let him through the doors, followed by Kanade and Karasu. Kanade glanced up at Ahel as she passed. The woman smiled back warmly.

_She is different to Niera,_ Kanade thought. _She is welcoming and openly kind, whereas Niera . . . isn't cold exactly but . . . ack, I can't even describe her._

Ahel closed the doors behind them and did not lock them. Kanade was not surprised. They could all feel when someone would approach the door so any sneak peaking or listening in was not going to happen.

Inside was a large and luscious modern looking room, with sofas and chairs, a few glass coffee tables and beautiful plants carefully laid about the room. The room smelt fresh and sweet with the perfume of the flowers. Classic Chinese paintings hung from the walls; a huge plasma television was in the far wall. There were no windows.

Everyone was seated and chatting away to themselves, but they fell silent when the rest arrived. Kanade glanced around the room and did a quick headcount: there was herself, Karasu, Yin Di; Ahel, Joseph, Kylia; Tony, Saya, Haji; Victoria, Hibiki and Kai. Twelve in total.

Kai leaned back against the sofa, placing his hands behind his head. "Finally! You took ages!"

"Kai oji-san," Kanade tutted. "Watch it."

"Ah?! Is that how my daughters are supposed to talk to me? With that tone?"

Kanade rolled her eyes and sat down at one of the remaining sofas with Karasu. Ahel returned to her seat in between her two Chevaliers, and Yin Di took the single seat farthest from the door, so he faced the plasma screen that was on the other side.

He picked up a small silver remote and turned the TV on. They were greeted by Callum's face that was almost pressed up against the screen.

"Callum!" Karasu exclaimed. "Move that butt ugly face of yours out of the way!"

"Bleh!" Callum pulled a face. Joseph laughed, Hibiki giggled, and Tony cracked a smile.

"Moron," Kanade heard Tony say under his breath. Kanade chuckled at that remark.

A hand grasped Callum's shoulder, pulling him back.

"Stop faffing about and sit down," David's gruff voice said to his son.

Callum pouted as he sat back, folding his arms and grumbling under his breath. But with him out of the way, they could now see Joel, David, Julia and Lewis.

"We have been waiting impatiently all week for this call," David said. "It's about time you finally make the time to tell us what the situation really is."

Kanade glanced at Yin Di. His expression did not show much.

"Forgive my lateness," he said wryly. "A lot has had to be taken care of. We crossed the Mongolian boarder without permission, and the Red Shield members with me in this room have in effect, entered China illegally due to there not having been enough time to sort out their visas. So forgive me for trying to smooth _theirs_ and _your_ situation out with the Chinese government."

Kanade winced at the sting in his words. David sat back with a grudging huff, unable to argue against that point. Everything had been in such a rush that Kanade did not spend time to think about how difficult it would be afterwards.

_I guess I should thank him for that._

"I trust everything has been dealt with now?" Joel asked calmly, with a soothing tone to his voice aimed mainly at David.

"It has, yes," Yin Di said.

"Thank you, Yin Di," Joel said earnestly.

Yin Di nodded in acknowledged response. He then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "A week has passed since the incident in Omnigovi province. Ahel and I will take the lead in explaining to you the situation."

"Wait," Julia interrupted. "Where is Niera? Has she still not returned yet?"

Kanade's blue eyes flashed to Yin Di, as did everyone else's. He showed no change.

"Not yet. We do not need to wait for her in order to make this discussion," he said.

Kanade's chest constricted. She could sense the relationship between Yin Di and Niera. She expected Yin Di to show some form of concern, yet he showed nothing. Kanade knew that if she was in Yin Di's place, she would not be able to stop fretting.

What made it worse was how deep underground Niera was buried. Surely nothing could have survived something like, not even a Chiropteran Queen.

"Very well," Lewis said, finishing whatever he was munching on. "Explain then, to us, why you and Ianna fight."

"Ianna has always had a desire for bloodshed," Ahel said. "As do we all. But Ianna has never bothered to control hers, enjoying the thrill of being the superior species. But this fight is a fight over Joseph, unfortunately."

They glanced at the Wild West bandit. He shrugged with a sigh. "It's not my fault."

"Well clearly you did something to antagonise Ianna," Karasu said.

"I didn't antagonise her," Joseph objected. "Quite the opposite actually."

"What? Did you kiss her?" Tony suggested with mirth.

"No, though if I did, it would still be the same now."

"So what –?" Callum began.

"He was the first person to show Ianna kindness, it seems," Ahel sighed. Kanade's eyes widened. She had yet to see Ianna, but she still could not help but wonder why someone such as Joseph would show an evil hearted person kindness.

Joseph then proceeded to tell of his past, shedding light on the reason why Ianna wanted him.

* * *

Saya frowned slightly, watching Joseph as he continued on with the discussion with the others. She replayed his story of his past in her head. Saya's expression fell slightly.

It was very much like Diva, Diva and Riku . . .

Except the situations were different. Diva never had any romantic feeling for Riku in the first place. Still though, the end result was Diva becoming pregnant, and Riku's death.

"_. . .Saya nee-chan . . .!"_

A pang of hurt and sadness swept through Saya. She missed Riku terribly.

Is that what Ianna wanted? For Joseph to plant the seed of his children within her and then to kill him? But he showed her kindness, so did that mean that she wanted Joseph to serve Ianna instead and become her lover? Like what Solomon wanted with Saya?

Ianna would give birth to more Chiropteran Queens.

Saya glanced at Kanade and Hibiki. They listened eagerly, with patience and understanding in their expressions. The two girls treated their Chevaliers well, as friends, and walked amongst humans as equals – very different to Diva. If Diva still lived, Kanade and Hibiki would not be the same as they were today.

A slight shudder of dread shivered down Saya's spine. Haji glanced down at her in faded concern, but she smiled faintly back up at him, before turning her attention back to Joseph. It made sense that they fought so hard to keep him from Ianna's reach. Should she become pregnant with his children, then she could raise more Chiropteran Queens for Red Shield, Ahel and Niera to fight against.

The war would be huge.

"Freya and Annabel are as old as Yin Di and Kylia," Ahel continued.

"I'm guessing that's old?" The question came from Tony.

"Very old," Joseph agreed. "Kylia is almost five hundred years old."

Kylia scowled at him. "You should never say to a woman that she is old," she chided him.

Saya's eyes flitted to the female Chevalier. Her dark blond, curly hair bobbed just below her shoulders, framing her pale face and enhancing her deep blue eyes.

When Saya tried to pursue Annabel after she retreated, Saya was stopped by both Joseph and Kylia.

"_Don't follow her,"_ Kylia had said. _"Otherwise you would be lured into the traps that cover their escape route."_

Kylia wore an aged and ripped, black, gothic dress at the time. Now, she wore jeans, white crop top and trainers. It was a huge transformation.

A lot had happened that day. Freya also retreated, protected by the never-ending Chiropterans and marines who made it impossible for Red Shield to pursue. The ground shook as aspects of the necropolis collapsed beneath their feet.

Eventually, Yin Di appeared with Ahel in his arms, while the entrance behind him caved in completely. He handed Ahel to Joseph immediately, and for good reason. The Queen's eyes burned with parched thirst that it was almost insanity.

A hundred years without blood.

Saya could not even begin to imagine the torture. Just thinking about it made her throat go dry with thirst, thirst for Haji's blood.

If Ahel stayed with Yin Di, she could have killed him by mistake, or had a bad reaction herself as it was Niera's blood that ran in Yin Di's veins. Ahel pounced on Joseph immediately, drinking his blood until he collapsed unconscious. To drain a Chevalier of his blood to the point that he would collapse was just . . . well . . . it gave them all a good indication as to just how starved of blood Ahel had been.

Saya's mahogany eyes flickered to Ahel. There was guilt in her posture towards Joseph. Saya could sympathise with that guilt. Just thinking of draining Haji to such an extent sent her heart throbbing painfully.

"Annabel is Ianna's first Chevalier," Ahel went on. "We don't know much about Annabel at all I'm afraid, so we cannot tell you anything about her past, other than she was drowned after being accused as a witch, and she has a condition where she was born with a brain tumour pressing on the amygdala. That is the cause for her violent behaviour. What we can tell you though is about her status in the world."

Everyone shuffled in their seats.

"Despite her appearing so young, she is an extremely capable Chevalier," Yin Di said, pouring the tea into little china cups for everyone to lean forward and collect. Saya raised an eyebrow, not quite expecting the mafia leader of Bei Jing himself to be pouring tea for everyone. Despite his cold aura, Saya was fairly sure he had a kind heart.

"Her childishness works as a cover and a mask to those that she interacts with," he continued. "Therefore it has taken her time, but over the centuries and decades, she has come to bring the EU under her influence and control."

It felt like a slap.

"How can such a little girl influence something so huge?" Saya asked quietly, thinking of her fight against her.

"_You remind me of my mother."_

"Small body, big mind," Yin Di said simply. "Do not underestimate anyone that serves Ianna, for Ianna looks for those with intellect and intelligence, not physical strength. At the end of the day, it is the power of the mind that attains victory or is the result of defeat. Strength is just a favourable side dish."

"_I hated my mother."_

"As for Freya," Ahel then said. "We know much more about her."

"She is a decade or so younger than me, and we both originate from the same country – England," Kylia said, her voice soft. "As you know, she is blind, and as far as we are aware, she was born like that. She fights using the vibrations that she feels in the air and ground. But in her Chiropteran form, she has sight."

Saya saw Tony stiffen.

"She is arrogant," Victoria spat. "Saying that she made England's history."

"Freya is right in saying that," Kylia said with a warning undertone beneath her gentle voice. "You should all be aware of the Great Fire of London."

Saya's skin turned cold and everyone in the room paused, almost as if they could not believe what Kylia was implying.

"Freya's power in the United Kingdom has always been incredibly strong," Kylia went on. "Her first introduction to the world of violence was when she burnt down the mansion of her masters, an English Lord and Lady. Then in 1666, she started a fire in a bakery, which then spread and became known as the Great Fire of London."

". . . Impossible," Victoria whispered.

"It is very true," Kylia assured her. "Because I was there. My attempt to stop her failed."

The room was silent as the information sunk in. To think that a Chevalier was responsible for such an iconic moment in history was . . . horrifying.

"Freya has also always had some form of control over the British Royal Family," Kylia exhaled, seeming tired as Saya watched how her dark blue eyes were misted with memory.

"She left them to their own devices though," Yin Di said. "Until a hundred years ago when she began to take a more active approach. After the Royal Wedding in 2011, Freya then took a direct approach. In 2013, she decided to use the new heir to the throne as a hostage within their own country."

"But how much power does that give her?" Karasu asked. "The Royal Family doesn't have any power."

Yin Di and Kylia shook their heads. "On the contrary," Kylia explained. "The Royal Family has a massive amount of power – they just don't use it because in effect, they are not allowed to otherwise the UK would be torn asunder by civil war. Just think about the King's power compared to say . . . the Japanese Emperor. If the Emperor stamped his foot for the world's attention, at the same time the King clicked his fingers, who would the world press look to?"

"The King of course," Victoria stated. "Obviously."

Saya frowned. _Is Japan really that weak? Surely not._

Kylia nodded to Victoria's response. "The government and the Prime Minister rule the country of course, in place of the Royal Family. But every law that Parliament comes up with has to ultimately be read and approved by the reigning monarch. If the monarch says no, then the law would not come to pass. Same with the military forces. The government controls them, but all members of the RAF, Navy and Army swear an oath to the monarch, not the government. If the King wished it, he can take control of his forces easily from the government, and the military would not argue. Their allegiance is ultimately to their King whom they would die for."

"Therefore if Freya controls the Royal Family, she also controls the best military in the world; and by extension, also the Common Wealth," Ahel concluded.

The room was silent as Red Shield finally began to understand their enemy.

Their enemy was the United Kingdom and Europe. They could not trust the Common Wealth, and struggled to keep the Americans from interfering.

Saya suddenly felt extremely tired with the shocking realisation. She looked up at Ahel.

Niera and Ahel were fighting against half of the world itself. Perhaps even more.

They were using the world itself for their game of chess. _This_ . . . _this _was how the Queens played the game.

Being in Asia, being in China, was the only truly safe place for them, which meant that –

Saya's eyes flashed to Yin Di.

_This man . . . my God . . . this man is holding the front against all of them._

And behind him stood his Queen that directed everything, just as Ianna stood behind Freya and Annabel, guiding them when needed. It was very much like a monarch and Prime Minister. The Chevaliers were the Prime Ministers, taking control of the rule and doing what they saw fit. But when needed, the monarchs, the Queens, would step in – the ultimate commander-in-chiefs.

Therefore what did Ahel do? What did Joseph and Kylia do?

Saya learnt that Joseph had good links in America that worked to keep the Americans back. Kylia, as far as Saya could see, looked to be an expert in history and politics which would no doubt guide them through the storm of politics. And Ahel . . .

She stood back to back with Niera, shrouded in the shadow of her eldest sister.

* * *

Yin Di stood in his vast office, gazing out through the glass wall that served as his window. His big chair and desk lay behind him in the darkness of his office. The only light was that of the Bei Jing that lay vast and open before and below him.

He could feel it. He could feel the city live and breathe for the city was his web, and he was the spider that watched over it. The people within it were his children whom he protected, but the flies, the intruders would be eaten by him, the predator, should they threaten him and his city.

He placed his cool fingers against the glass, letting the coldness of it seep in through his skin. How cold his life and heart was without Niera beside him.

Eight days it had been, and still he had heard nothing from her, not a single telepathic touch. He knew that not even all those hundreds of tons of rock and earth could keep Niera buried in that necropolis.

Yet he worried. It would take a long time for her to rise from it nonetheless. Her body would be a crushed and mutilated mess of bone, blood and flesh. She would need blood, a lot of blood to be able to regenerate. His desire to see her was so strong that it took conscious effort to stop him from walking out this very moment. The concern in his heart was almost agonising. He could barely think straight.

But . . . what if she did not rise?

Yin Di could feel that something was changing within her. It had been growing quickly over the past few decades. It was almost as if . . . as if she was burning out. Her smile no longer had the spark of fiery warmth that it used to. Her eyes were tired.

He felt a presence approach his door, but did not turn around as the door opened and light footsteps walked in.

"No matter how long it will take, you will always wait for her."

"Just as Hwayeom did for you, and you for him," Yin Di said softly. "We will remain loyal for eternity to the one who has our heart."

"Even if they have already left this world, leaving us behind," she said quietly.

Yin Di glanced back slightly; Ahel ran her fingers across his desk. A sad smile played on her lips as she then joined him by the window. Her black trousers melted into the shadows, while her white blouse caught the light of the city.

"A lot has changed in these one hundred years," she said gently. "I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for you, Yin Di."

"I will not deny it," he whispered.

Bearing the front of Ianna's attempts to penetrate and infiltrate Asia exhausted him. He was just one man, one man against the United Kingdom and Europe. With one arm he fought them, and with the other, he used as a shield against the Americans to keep them out of their business.

China's incredible power and influence was a huge help, for they took the front of the Americans. Hwayeom used to use his power and influence in both Koreas against Ianna as well, and because he was a Prince, Hwayeom already had a superb grasp on politics. Both men had each other's backs. They kept it balanced.

However, it had collapsed completely with Hwayeom's death. Now, the South Koreans were under American protection, using it as their base, and the North Koreans were stirring up trouble by antagonising them.

_If only that civil war would end!_

"I am leaving tonight, with Kylia and Joseph," Ahel murmured, breaking the silence.

Yin Di glanced at her. "Will it be safe?" He asked quietly.

"I think it will, especially with Red Shield so close. Ianna would have retreated back into the EU zone to plan her offense."

Yin Di nodded only once and smiled faintly. He knew what Ahel wanted.

"We buried his remains in your tomb, Ahel."

It was a forgotten, empty tomb of a King.

Ahel touched his arm. "Thank you, Yin Di," she breathed.

He barely heard her leave.

* * *

Ahel found Kylia and Joseph waiting in the lobby. Joseph grinned and Kylia smiled upon seeing her. She felt warmth bubble through her cold body upon seeing their kind smiles. But one of them was missing. Her heart was hollow – empty.

Hwayeom had taken her heart with him.

"Ready to go and see him?" Joseph asked cheerfully.

Kylia held out Ahel's long green coat, designed like a trench coat. Ahel took it and swept it onto her body as her arms slid through the sleeves. She smiled at them, striding out into the city.

"Yes. Let us go and see the Prince."

* * *

_**And so the 2nd arc of Rise From The Past begins! What forgotten memories will rise from the dust now that Ahel has returned?**_

**A/N: I just finished reading Vampire Knight (which was awesome! I definitely recommend it), and they had a lot of suspense statements like the one just above. So I'm going to try doing the same to see what will happen ;) I probably won't do it for all of them. It depends if I can think of something to write that will keep it interesting. I hope you all stay tuned!  
**


	15. Chapter 14

**8 and 3/4 pages  
**

**A/N: Mwahaha! I bet you lot didn't expect me to bring out the next chapter this soon. So enjoy!**

Chapter Fourteen

Ahel stopped outside the entrance to the great, underground tomb. The land of North Korea was dry and the air was cool. It was surprising just how quickly the landscape had changed in five hundred years. The atmosphere had also changed. It had lost its spirit, its heart.

Yet Ahel could still hear the echo of memory in the wind that whispered through the trees.

" _. . . Ahel . . ."_

The wind was Hwayeom. It was his voice, his touch, his fingers that ran through her hair and brushed against her cheek.

This place was so . . . so nostalgic.

She placed a pale hand against the stone door.

"We will wait for you outside, Ahel," Kylia said gently. Ahel looked back at her. Her dark blue eyes were unwavering with understanding.

Ahel struggled to keep the sorrow and gratitude from showing on her face. Out of her three Chevaliers, Kylia had always been the most understanding, even more so than Hwayeom.

"I will go and guard the other entrance," Joseph said, pushing himself away from a tree and darted off into the distance.

Ahel turned her attention back to the stone door, and pushed it open. Stone scraped against stone, and a dark path beyond led into the deepness of the underground tomb.

She walked in, letting the shadow envelope her in its dark arms, and the stone door behind her scraped shut. The smells were similar, for they were the smells of Ahel. The air was heavy with the presence of her as the Queen of this tomb. But now there was also another presence, one that almost felt alive, for she could see his dark silhouette in front of her.

"_I will always be by your side, Ahel," _he had once whispered to her in between their kisses.

Hwayeom's lingering spirit had become the shadows of her tomb, which was now also his tomb.

Ahel reached forward, hoping to catch his beautiful, long black hair in between her fingers. The shadow of his hair passed through her touch, and Ahel stopped, feeling pain stab at her heart.

A single, soft sob escaped her control and she closed her eyes, placing a hand over her face. Despite his presence lingering in this tomb, it was still not him completely. No matter how much she wished it, Hwayeom could never come back.

Because he was dead.

_I miss him so much . . ._

The shadows morphed into a hand and touched her cheek. Ahel lowered her hand and looked ahead. This touch, it was Hwayeom's. Even after a hundred years, she still recognised it as if it were only yesterday that he last touched her.

Ahel followed the shadows into the deep, letting Hwayeom's shadow guide her through the passages that she had come to know so well. She reached for an old torch, its wood long soaked in oil. With her telekinesis, she compressed the space around it and split it sharply, forming a spark that set the torch alight.

Hwayeom's shadow stayed just beyond its reach, swirling and swaying in the darkness ahead. Taking the torch, she walked on, letting memories come to her in the dark, both hers and Hwayeom's, now that she shared this tomb with him.

_Like a true husband and wife._

This tomb was big, created for a King in the distant past. There had never been any body though, and his name was long forgotten in time, just like this tomb. But it was built for royalty nonetheless, and now a Prince resided within it.

After what felt like an eternity, Ahel finally stopped outside a set of double stone doors. Hwayeom's shadow melted into the stone, leaving her standing outside – alone.

Beyond the doors she could feel her lingering presence. It was faint though, after having spent a hundred years underground in the necropolis beneath Ianna's watchful stare.

The presence that now mixed with hers beyond the doors was Hwayeom's.

"_Ahel, move!"_

Memories flashed through her mind. He stepped in front of her, and Ianna's blade pierced his heart.

"_NO!"_

Her own scream echoed in her ears.

He smiled faintly at her, as his body began to crystallise and crack.

Ahel's hand curled into a fist and she closed her eyes for a moment, feeling them moisten and pain crushed her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She had been stuck in the past, reliving that moment every waking day since that night.

She could not keep on like this.

Taking a deep breath, Ahel pushed open one side of the double doors, and stepped into the vast chamber. The flame of her torch lengthened the shadows, sending them swaying and dancing. The silence of the still air hung in the atmosphere of the chamber.

The chamber was square in shape, with a high ceiling that was lost in the darkness. Before her in the centre were steps that led to the tomb that rested at the top like an altar. For five hundred years, Ahel had always returned to this place to hibernate. Now, someone else slept within it, and he would sleep for the rest of eternity.

She set the torch in a stand close by, before she then pushed the top of the tomb away, setting it quietly on the other side. It would have required many humans to lift it, but to Ahel, it was as light as a single stone the size of her palm.

Ahel prepared her heart, and gazed down into the coffin. Her eyes landed on shards and fragments of deep red crystal like garnet, dusted in grey-like ash. Half of a face remained intact. That same faint smile lingered, his eye was half closed in sorrow.

"_At last . . . I can now truly be called your Chevalier . . . Ahel . . ."_

Those were his final words, words that stemmed from his only request.

"_Let me protect you."_

A tear slipped from her eyes, landing on his grey, crystal cheek.

"But what about me?" She whispered, her voice thick as the tears began to fall. "How can you protect me if you are not here?"

* * *

_Hwayeom strolled through the gardens of the palace at night, letting the moonlight flit down through the still and warm air. The moonlight shattered against the surface of the pond, illuminating the lilies that floated on top amongst the lily pads. The blossom tree perfumed the air with its delicate aroma._

_The garden was beautiful, lined by white-washed walls within the area of the palace. It was almost celestial, the palace was, with its sweeping tiled roofs. _

_Hwayeom wore a simple robe, having put his royal robes away, but he still kept his glaive close by somewhere. His long black hair was loose, falling down his back._

_The garden and palace were beautiful, as always. Yet it contrasted so much against the corruption of the court and the poverty of the land. Hwayeom despised it. He loathed his father the King, and many of those that served him._

_His views contrasted too much against his father's, and even though he was the Crown Prince, Hwayeom knew he would not be for long, not when his father's concubines gave birth to a son. Behind Hwayeom's cheery nature, his spirit and heart boiled with rage. _

_He wanted to escape this. He wanted to fight against his father and the corrupted court. He wanted to save his Kingdom and his people. _

_It was driving him to the edge of insanity._

: Then fight them.

_He shook his head. Hwayeom was just one man. Even though he was the Crown Prince, he had no power in this corrupted court that kowtowed to the King's every word._

: Fight them, Prince Hwayeom.

_The mental voice came again and this time, Hwayeom paused and frowned. That voice was not his conscious, because his conscious was not a woman. It was a familiar voice though, a gentle one that he heard sometimes within his thoughts, one that he felt shared his views and made him feel tremendous sadness. Because even though the voice voiced his desires, he found it impossible to carry them out._

_He was a coward._

_Hwayeom stilled and closed his eyes, feeling a presence behind him. It was the same one he vaguely detected every time he heard the voice in his head. He wanted to turn around and finally see the owner of the voice in his head. But he was afraid._

I must stop being a coward. I am tired of always avoiding what could be done. So turn around . . . turn around!

_Hwayeom opened his eyes and turned slightly to look behind him, already feeling sorrow permeate his heart at the knowledge that he would not see anyone, reminding him that he was alone._

_Yet, his dark brown eyes met emerald green eyes, looking back at him. Hwayeom blinked. A woman, shrouded in shadow, stood half behind the trunk of the blossom tree. She wore the robes of a low class noble woman, her hair was long and black, like his, but it was her eyes that stole Hwayeom's breath. They were calm pools of liquid emerald that calmed his raging and turbulent spirit._

_In that one instance where his eyes met hers, for the first time in his twenty five years, he felt cooling peace._

"_You are the one who has been invading my thoughts," he murmured. "You are the one telling me to fight when I cannot."_

_She did not respond, but there was a smile in her green eyes. The woman did not move, and neither did he. She was a spirit from the heavens. A holy maiden that he dared not approach._

"_What should I do?" He asked quietly. "How do I break this cycle of corruption?"_

_The spirit raised her arm, draped in a wide sleeve, and pointed towards the palace. Hwayeom followed the point. _

"_The opportunity is now. Take the chance while it is still there, Prince Hwayeom," she said, her voice was soft, like wind chimes._

_Hwayeom glanced back at her, to find that she had disappeared. He blinked, looking about him, but he could not see any trace of the spirit woman at all. It was as if she had never been there at all._

_Had it all been his imagination?_

_A series of distant and panicked cries caught his attention. His stomach churned in sickness. Those screams were normal nowadays, for one of the Generals delighted in picking up peasant women whose husbands were locked up in the dungeons, and raped the unlucky woman in his bed chamber, before executing her the following morning._

_It was disgusting, and Hwayeom could not stand it any longer. The spirit's words resounded again in his ears._

_There was no more time for cowardly behaviour. No time for hesitation. Now, he would act. Instead of keeping his fury buried and sealed behind the bars of his patience, he set it free. As Crown Prince of this Kingdom, he could not allow this to continue._

_The Prince strode into the palace, collected his fearsome glaive, and moved towards the sound of the screaming. His murderous aura swirled about him, trailing behind like a cloak of dark purpose._

_He came across the General that dragged the peasant woman behind him. The man was large and bulky, taller than Hwayeom's six foot one, and wider than Hwayeom's lean body. The woman, who must have been barely twenty, kicked and hit, crying for the General to spare her. The tears streamed down her cheeks. _

"_Please! Please spare me! Just let me see my husband!"_

"_If you want your hubby's cock then I will let you taste mine!" The General boomed with laughter. "It doesn't matter whose cock it is as long as it fucks!"_

How sickening.

_The General was too wrapped up in his warped fantasies to notice Hwayeom's presence until it was too late. Hwayeom swung his glaive. The blade, engraved with a tiger, sliced through the General's thick neck in one, smooth motion. His head flew into the air, followed by a fountain of blood, before the body took one more step forward, and fell to the floor. Blood gushed noisily from the stump._

_The woman gasped, falling back, clamping her trembling hands to her mouth. She stared up at Hwayeom with terrified, wide eyes as he towered over the General's dead body. His glaive dripped with blood._

"_I should have killed you sooner, General Sung, you sick bastard," he hissed._

_He glanced at the woman._

"_Please, please don't kill me!" She whimpered._

"_I will set you and your husband free," he said softly, before guards rounded the corner._

"_What's going on?!" They demanded, and then skidded to a halt upon seeing the Prince._

"_Get behind me," he ordered the woman. She scrabbled to her feet, hiding behind him. She shook like a leaf and Hwayeom's heart despaired at how appalled he was of his own court and Generals._

"_Your Highness," the guards gasped, horror showing in their expressions. "What is the meaning of this?"_

_Hwayeom swiped his glaive to the side and the blood from the blade was ripped off, splattering onto the floor, leaving his glaive clean once again._

"_It is as it looks," he said darkly. The guards shrank away from his terrifying aura. "I killed General Sung."_

_He took the woman with him, leaving the stunned guards behind, until they woke from their stupor and gave chase. Hwayeom cut down the guards on the way to the dungeon. He freed the woman's husband, and the covered their escape, staying behind to ensure they could not be pursued._

_Hwayeom watched them escape. Despite realising that he would probably be executed now for his crime, he found himself sighing softly with a faint smile. At last, he had broken free from the shackles of his royal life and had done something good for a peasant._

_In the end, he stood down and was arrested. He was brought before the King and his subjects. The King's concubines looked on him with distaste for they knew that while Hwayeom was present, their children could never have a chance at the throne._

_His father made a grave mistake though. Rather than sentencing Hwayeom to death, the Prince was stripped of his status and title, and he was exiled._

_Hwayeom rode atop his black stallion, surrounded by a guard that would accompany him to the boarder. People came out onto the streets to see what was happening. The rich looked on him with scorn; the poor looked on him with pity and loss in their eyes. The one person who could possibly help them was being banished from the Kingdom._

_Despite his exile, Hwayeom rode through the streets proudly. It did not matter if he had been stripped of his status and title. The royal blood still ran thick in his veins. _

You are a fool, father,_ he thought with bitter amusement. _This Kingdom's blood and heritage still runs in my veins. I _will_ come back.

_The days passed as they went further north. The land steadily became more barren, and poverty was evident. Hwayeom ground his teeth. Being exiled to northeast China did not make it any easier for him. He would have gone to the Emperor of China to ask for his assistance in reclaiming the throne of Korea, but Emperor Jiajing was a cruel man, very different to Emperor Hongzhi, who was the father of Emperor Zhengde. _

_Zhengde was Jiajing's predecessor. _

_Hwayeom had dreamed and hoped that one day he could rule Korea as Hongzhi did for China. He grew up reading about Hongzhi's observant, wise and hardworking nature, and how he ruled the Empire fairly using Confucian ideology. But he died all too soon, before Hwayeom was ever born._

_That dream now seemed like a distant fantasy. _

_The sun began to descend in the sky and Hwayeom looked towards it, squinting against the brightness. The village they passed through was quiet as its residents scurried back inside to avoid the brutal and haughty glares of the guards._

_The sun hovered over a roof – a roof which upon someone stood. The figure was a black shadow as the sun was eclipsed behind. Clothing was plain, like that of a commoner. Long black hair was tied up, white teeth flashed with a growing smile, and green eyes gazed down at him._

_Hwayeom's lips parted in recognition and dismay._

_It was her._

_Her front and face was covered in shadow, but Hwayeom saw her raise her finger to her lips for silence and secrecy. With her other hand, she held a glaive – his glaive._

_His heart almost stopped._

_There was a beat of silence, killing intent split the air, the horses squealed and reared, and action erupted all around them. Battle cries cracked through the air as the village came to life. Peasants wielding weapons and in some form of makeshift uniform, pounced from their hiding place and ambushed the convoy._

_There was panic and confusion everywhere as the guards were attacked. Hwayeom looked about him frantically. Was he going to be attacked? He had no weapon to defend himself!_

"_Prince Hwayeom."_

_He managed to rein his horse under control and glanced down to his side. The green-eyed woman stood next to his horse, holding his glaive to him with both hands. Her head was bowed slightly, but then she looked up at him, and he could see her face._

_She was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Her pale skin was like white silk. Her black hair was like a cloak of the night. Her eyes were deep emerald that seemingly glowed with mystery._

_She grinned at him. "Take up your glaive, Your Highness. These people are here to serve you, the rightful heir to the throne."_

_He met her gaze, and she gazed back at him with strength. No woman had ever looked on him with unwavering strength and determination like that. There was kindness and life in those emerald pools. There was hope._

_Hwayeom glanced around him. Indeed, the peasants fought the guards, fighting to draw them away from Hwayeom so the peasants could form a defensive ring about him. One guard was forced from his horse and a peasant mounted it, while the rest killed the fallen guard immediately._

_He recognised a few rare faces amongst the peasants. Some of them were soldiers from the army. They had left to join the rising rebellion. Some said it was just a rumour, but it was in fact the truth. _

"_The rebellion needs a leader, Your Highness," the woman said. "Will you answer the call of your people?"_

_Hwayeom's heart had already made the decision. He had made it long ago. Therefore the Prince reached out and his fingers grasped the staff of his glaive._

"_Kill all the guards and give chase to those that escape!" He shouted over the chaos. "Leave none alive!"_

_The peasants cheered, and followed his order. With a leader, they now had purpose. Quickly, all of the guards were killed and their horses were taken by the peasants who led Hwayeom away to a remote part of the land. He was welcomed to their base in the mountains with smiles and more cheers._

_And so Hwayeom – the exiled Prince – became the rebellion leader._

_It had turned out that many members of the army had left and joined the rebellion, and so Hwayeom spent much of his time with them and planning a form of attack against the capital. With the rest of his time, he spent it walking amongst the rebels, listening to their stories, sympathising with them and encouraging them with his cheeriness. _

_He asked about the woman with green eyes. She was considered as a spiritual maiden descended from the heavens that had blessed the rebellion with heaven's guidance. The woman was rarely seen. Sometimes, people were not even sure if she existed as they would only catch glimpses of her. _

_However, the most recent was when she came to inform them of Hwayeom's exile, and where and how to ambush his convoy. She led the attack, and when Hwayeom took over, she disappeared once again._

_Hwayeom sat outside in the dark on a boulder. The night sky was clear and filled with overlapping stars. The moon was waxing, shedding gentle light down onto the land. The breeze blew through his hair. It was quiet and peaceful, the calm before the storm. Because tomorrow, they would begin the march on the capital._

_He felt disappointed that he did not see that woman. He could not help but wonder if she was indeed someone that had descended from the heavens. Would she grace them with victory? Or would he and the rebellion be cursed to die._

_The stress weighed down on Hwayeom's shoulders. Thousands of lives rested in his hands. It was more than any army he had ever led._

_He exhaled tiredly. Would that woman bless them with victory?_

"_I am not from the heavens, Your Highness."_

_Hwayeom did not jump because for some reason, he did not feel so surprised that she had made an appearance to him on this night, and also because her presence, whether he was aware of it or not, made him feel calm. He could think clearer._

_She stood nearby on a higher boulder, leaning against another boulder behind her with her arms crossed casually._

"_Everyone seems to think so. And I have to agree with them," he said._

"_If you agreed with them, then why do you not bow before me? Even an Emperor would kowtow before a celestial maiden."_

_Hwayeom paused. He did not think of that. "I guess you have a point," he chuckled. "Then who are you? You are not a normal person."_

_She smiled widely. "You are sharp. But that is a secret for another time."_

"_Oh? Are you the opposite of a celestial maiden then?"_

_Her smile turned dark. "Maybe you will find out one day." Her smile faded. "But would you still talk to me like this if you knew the truth?"_

_Hwayeom looked at her properly. The breeze whispered between them. "Yes."_

_Here expression softened. "You certainly are the true ruler of this land."_

_Hwayeom's own expression fell slightly and he closed his eyes, sighing softly and he looked ahead of him, feeling the fear build in his heart._

"_Will you help us tomorrow?" He asked her quietly._

_There was a stretch of silence between them. "It is not my battle, Prince Hwayeom. I am not a native of this land."_

Indeed,_ he thought quietly. _Green eyes are not an eye colour of this land.

_He looked back at her. "Then, may I make one request of you?"_

_She tilted her head to the side slightly, before she then nodded._

"_If the assault on the capital fails and I am taken into custody, can you at least help the rebels escape from the soldiers?" Hwayeom requested sincerely._

_The woman gazed at him for a long time, until she pushed herself away from the boulder that she leaned against, faced him, and then bowed._

"_As you command, Prince Hwayeom," she replied. Her voice was strong and certain. "But there is something I want you to do in return." Her voice softened._

_It was Hwayeom's turn to tilt his head to the side. "What is it?"_

"_Should you ever feel like you have lost hope, should you ever need to be protected or saved, just call out my name. Call my name, and I will protect you."_

_He smiled faintly. "What is your name?"_

"_Ahel. My name is Ahel."_

_And with that, she disappeared into the night, and Hwayeom rested his body before the day arrived for his plan to come into effect._

_Dawn arrived, and he as his rebellion rose with the rising sun. They marched across the land, gathering more men and the rebellion grew in number as they drew closer to the capital. The units of guards stationed in towns and villages fell under Hwayeom's strategy. The rebels were not master fighters, or even reasonably skilled like those of the army. Therefore he had to rely on tactics._

_On the day before the full moon, the rebellion could see the capital in sight. Hwayeom and four others led the rebellion which was divided into five units, spaced evenly between them. It was a risky formation. An untrained group would normally stay in tight formation to provide the best defence, making it much harder to disperse them and to penetrate. Therefore Hwayeom was taking a huge gamble in keeping his forces spread out, sacrificing defence for space and ground. Everything would crumble in moments if he miscalculated._

_The air buzzed with the roar of the rebel army and of the enemy forces that came out to meet them. The defence of the city had fewer men than Hwayeom's army, but they were fully trained. They stormed out through the city gates, marching as three units but in tight formation._

_Hwayeom ground his teeth as he saw whose banners were flying. They were General Si, a very close friend and accomplice of General Sung._

"_Maintain formation and follow the plan!" He commanded over the roar. "Do not break focus!"_

_The enemy charged forward, and the rebel army responded by meeting them head on. Weapons clashed, shields shattered, the ground shook with the thunder of feet. Screams split the air as both front lines fell immediately. But the rebel front lines suffered the harshest damage._

_Hwayeom remained mounted on his stallion, feeling his heart pound in his chest faster than ever before. His eyes darted everywhere, watching, always watching for everything to go according to plan!_

_Arrows came his way and he swiped them away from him with his glaive, slashing at his enemies, feeling their hot blood splatter across his face. His glaive hungered for more blood._

_General Si's main force focused on Hwayeom's unit – the centre unit._

_The difference in skill was evident._

"_Prince! We are taking too much damage! We must retreat!" His lieutenant shrieked over the violent chaos._

_Hwayeom's eyes narrowed fiercely. "We must hold for just a little longer!"_

_His unit was feeling the pressure as General Si intensified his onslaught. Hwayeom's eyes found him amidst the fighting and their eyes met. Si sneered cruelly._

_More of Hwayeom's unit fell. Men screamed. The centre unit was crumbling – but the other four were fine. _

Good.

_Everything was going according to plan._

"_Prince! We cannot hold any longer!"_

_Hwayeom raised his arm. "Retreat!" His voice cracked out. "Centre unit retreat!"_

_His unit obeyed his command, scrambling back as fast as they could. Hwayeom heard General Si's forces roar louder in mocking victory and he glanced behind him. General's Si's forces pursued him with murderous eagerness._

_Hwayeom urged his horse on, flicking strands of his sweat-soaked hair from his eyes, and he smirked._

_The tone of the battle changed and the relentless onslaught of Si's men eased up. There was confusion amongst Si's ranks, and for good reason._

_Si's army was completely surrounded._

_Hwayeom's centre unit acted as bait, while the outer units worked their way around the edges of Si's forces. Si fell for the trap as the centre unit retreated, pulling Si into the bubble that Hwayeom had carefully created. Now, Si was in a ring, trapped in the centre._

"_Force the men to surrender!" Hwayeom bellowed. "Allow those that wish to join us, to do so! Many will fight for our cause!"_

_Si was overwhelmed. Those that surrendered were shown mercy, and those that resisted were killed, particularly when Hwayeom rode through the enemy and decapitated Si along the way. Many switched sides from Si's to Hwayeom's._

"_We march on the palace!" Hwayeom shouted. "Our target is the King and the officials!"_

_The rebel army cheered and surged forward behind their leader. It felt like victory was almost in their sights – almost . . . because Hwayeom knew that this would not last. The rest of the city's defences were scrambling to get their act together and when they were organised enough, Hwayeom knew that the tide would be turned against him in a heartbeat. It was a race against time._

_He fought his way into the palace, letting all his fury and hate writhe within his spirit and saturate his aura. He had the strength of a bear and the speed of a tiger. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if Ahel watched from afar._

_Just thinking about her brought about a slight calm to his turbulent mind. But even with that and all of his knowledge and skills, he was brought down, barely ten metres from the King._

_The rebellion was defeated. _

_Yet not all of them were killed. In the dungeons where Hwayeom lay, he heard rumoured whispers of a young woman with green eyes that planned an escape route, enabling most of them to escape. Rumour had it that her movements were as fast and as silent as the wind. They said that she was not human._

"But would you still talk to me like this if you knew the truth?"

_Opposite to a celestial maiden . . . a demon._

_Hwayeom's swollen lips – split from beating – twitched into a faint smile. Even if she was a monster, she was not evil. There was goodness in her heart, warmth in her smile, patience in her eyes. Hope._

I wish I could see her . . . one last time . . .

_The guards dragged Hwayeom's broken body from the dungeon cell. His skin was ripped and bleeding, blue from bruising, and his limbs were cold and limp from shattered bones._

_He felt so tired. Slowly, his body was dying. They tortured him until he was on the brink of death, and now they were to execute him in just a vicious manner._

_They dropped him down on the ground and rolled him onto his back. Despite being so tired, so weak that he could barely think, agony split his exhausted body._

_He could not see for his eyes were too swollen, but he felt the shackles clip around his wrists and ankles, and heard the clink of chains as they were attached to the shackles. Horses snorted in the distance._

_Dim dread and terror seeped into Hwayeom's weakly beating heart. More than once he had seen people executed in the same way. Their limbs were ripped from their bodies as the horses pulled against the four chains in opposing directions. _

I don't want to die like this . . ._ he thought silently as his heart began to weep. _I am afraid. Why does it have to be like this? Why can I not kill my father?!

"_When I . . . the order . . . begin . . ." Somewhere amongst Hwayeom's muffled hearing, he could hear the King's arrogant and emotionless voice give the command._

_Tears slipped from his damaged eyes, stinging the wounds on his face. The hooves of the horses clopped._

_Death draped over him with arms open in a cold, waiting embrace._

"Call my name, and I will protect you."

"What is your name?"

_Grief and fury exploded in Hwayeom's heart. He wanted to see her! _

_His lips parted. His breath sighed out.  
_

" _. . . Ahel . . ."_

* * *

**A/N: And now Hwayeom's past has been written. So that's 3 so far: Tony, Joseph and Hwayeom.  
**

**I know next to nothing about Korean history so I'm pretty sure that there was no rebellion in the 1500s. This is all purely fictional.**

**The Chinese Emperors though are definitely real. Hongzhi has already been mentioned as he is Niera's father figure. His son was Zhengde. Jiajing was Zhengde's nephew. If you want proof then just type their names into google.**

**Oh and by the way, in this fanfic, Hongzhi looks nothing like what it shows on wikipedia. In the fanfic, everyone looks dashing *_***


	16. Chapter 15

**6 pages  
**

Chapter Fifteen

Yin Di felt the presence behind his door before a knock followed.

"Come in," he said, not looking up as he continued with his paperwork. There was always paperwork to do. The world just could not survive without it. Humanity could not. But Chiropteran, like him, could, for their memories were near perfect.

Kanade stepped into his office. He glanced up at her. She stood nervously by the door as if closed behind her.

"Kanade," he said softly. "Why do you stand humbled in my presence when you are a Chiropteran Queen?"

"Eh? No, I was just . . ." She trailed off when Yin Di put down his pen.

"You are more human than any Chiropteran I have ever encountered. Niera would like that," he said quietly. It had been nine days now. Nine days since they had come back from Mongolia and Yin Di still felt silence from his Queen. He could feel the eternal pull he had towards her, he could still detect her life force, but it was faint. With all his heart he wished he could leave Bei Jing to find her and pull her from her rocky tomb.

However, the current situation did not allow that. As mafia leader and influence in the government, he was bound to stay here. As a moralistic person – a human – he had to stay in the capital of China. But, his duty as a Chevalier should come first, because he was not a human.

"_You have a duty to the people as well, not just me! I will not be too pleased if I find out people have suffered because you ignored them for your duty as a Chevalier instead."_

Yin Di's eyes flitted in the direction of Niera. There had been Queens in the past that used their Chevaliers as tools for their personal gain and protection. But Niera – and Ahel – were not like them. They treated their Chevaliers as equals, never asking them to protect them unless the Chevalier made the decisions on their own.

Niera and Ahel walked beside their Chevaliers, not hiding behind their Knights.

"Did you come here to ask me something?"

Kanade nodded and came to stand in front of his desk. Her expression was serious. "Yin Di-san, I want to know what happened a hundred years ago."

Yin Di titled his head slightly. "There are many parts of our pasts that you could discover, such as our early lives. Why choose the event that occurred a hundred years ago?"

Kanade took a deep breath and smiled faintly in sadness. "I don't want to be too nosy by prying too deep into your history. But I feel I need to know about at least one event, in order to be able to fight with your side against Ianna. Hibiki and I are young. We have never been involved in something like this before. Listening or reading about the accounts isn't enough. I want to _understand_. I want to _see._"

Yin Di held her gaze and in the end, Kanade looked away. With a sigh, Yin Di turned his swivel office chair so he could gaze out of the vast window-wall behind him. Red Shield had made a mistake by poking their nose into their business, but Freya's direct attack on Tony would have happened either way. Therefore in the end, Niera, Ahel and Red Shield would have teamed up no matter what the circumstances.

It was only fair then that Red Shield knew a bit more about them, because Yin Di knew much about Red Shield.

And also, he knew in his heart, that it was about time to return to the scene of where his best friend died.

"Very well," he murmured.

* * *

Ahel did not know how long she sat on the edge of the sarcophagus, weeping. It could have been hours, days, or even weeks. She cried until there were no more tears to cry. And once there were no more tears to cry, she slumped down against the sarcophagus, resting her back and head against it, and sat in sorrowful silence.

How pointless life felt without Hwayeom.

_Do you not know how cruel you are, Hwayeom? _Ahel thought silently in sorrow. _How do you expect me to walk this path alone without you by my side? Did you believe that sacrificing yourself to save me was a good thing?_

_You are selfish, Hwayeom._

The silence of the chamber continued.

"_Creatures like us were never meant for happiness," _Niera once said to her. _"Even though we are immortal, happiness is not eternal. Sorrow is. Joy is brief in our long lives, so we must enjoy it while it lasts. But . . . we must also understand that it will have to come to an end eventually."_

Ahel closed her eyes. Niera had said that in the late fifteen hundreds. They were barely a century old, and yet Niera spoke with the despair of loss and loneliness, despite having Yin Di by her side. Did Yin Di not make Niera as happy as Hwayeom made Ahel?

Anger stirred briefly within Ahel's cold and broken heart. _You have no right to say that to me, Niera, when you have not lost your lover to your enemy. You are not doomed to walk this Earth alone without your soul mate._

Something flashed into Ahel's memory, of a small scene she had seen such a long time ago that it felt like a fleeting dream. They were fifteen. Ahel had already decided to explore the world at that age and saw her eldest sister for the first time in China.

Niera stood with a beautiful man with a kindly face. That man was an Emperor, thirty two years at the time. He was smiling, and they were talking.

Her sister laughed. It was a laugh of warmth and happiness, with a charming ring to it that brought a smile to Ahel's face and lifted her spirit. It was a laugh of joyous and peaceful times, untainted by blood and death.

That happiness was gone.

The Niera that smiled and laughed so brightly from the heart . . . died in 1505.

Ahel brought her hands to her face which distorted into an expression of grief. _Is that why you said such words to me so early in our lives, Niera? _She began to realise. _Because you have already experienced this crushing pain of loss?_

Ahel sucked in a halting breath. Her chest hurt so much. _What should I do? Niera? Hwayeom? I can't go on like this . . ._

For a hundred years she had wept over Hwayeom's death. For a hundred years, she struggled to beat back down the hatred she began to feel for Hwayeom for leaving her behind – alone.

_: You are not alone, Ahel._

Ahel hesitated for a moment, before her breath sighed out in mourning and she lowered her hand, opening her eyes to gaze up at the ceiling cloaked in shadow. She looked towards the direction of the source of the telepathic voice.

_: Kylia . . ._

_: I know that neither Joseph nor I can replace Hwayeom in your heart, or fill the void that he left behind_, she murmured softly. _But Hwayeom did not leave this world so that you could mourn his death for eternity._

Ahel looked down at her hands in her lap, biting on her lower lip. She thought she had run out of tears, so it surprised her when more trickled down her cheeks.

_: As a Chevalier, our duty is to protect you at all costs. It brings us the highest honour to die for you, to enable you to continue living under the sun, _Kylia said gently._ This is what Hwayeom would have wanted of you. He died so that you could live on and enjoy all the good that still exists in this world. Please . . . please do not let this death go to waste, Ahel. Walk on in the sunlight . . . and we will walk by your side . . . always._

Ahel felt a small smile twitch at the corners of her lips as her tears fell. She stood up, grasping the edge of the sarcophagus and turned her face up, closing her eyes as the last of her tears fell.

She felt arms snake over her shoulders and a body pressed against her back.

"_I will always be by your side, Ahel . . ." _Hwayeom whispered. _". . . Even in death . . ."_

* * *

Kanade trudged through the snow after Yin Di. The snow was not as thick as she was expecting though, and it made for beautiful scenery as they were surrounded by trees. The air was calm and quiet, with the occasional birdsong singing through the sky.

She did not come alone though. Karasu, Hibiki, Victoria, Saya and Haji came along too. Her breath misted in the cold air and she tried to bury herself deeper into her scarf and thick coat, digging her gloved hands deeper into her pockets.

"There's snow here, even at this time of the year?" Karasu exclaimed, kneeling down to gather the snow in her hands and compressed it into a ball. Kanade raised an eyebrow.

"There is always snow this far north," Yin Di said ahead of them.

He did not turn behind to look at them and Kanade watched his back. He had become more withdrawn the further north they went. His eyes had become more distant, more . . . sorrowful. He was a man veiled in mystery, with an appearance to match as his long white hair swept behind him, matching the pureness of the snow.

Kanade's thoughts were interrupted when Karasu's snowball smacked the back of his head. Yin Di paused, shoulders raised from the impact and Kanade felt a small flicker of fear sweep through her.

"What was that for?" Kanade gasped at her Chevalier. Her Chevalier just grinned.

"You're so cold and gloomy, Yin Di," Karasu said in a jolly tone. "Lighten up!"

Yin Di looked back at Karasu. Kanade's eyes widened when she saw faint surprise in Yin Di's expression, followed quickly by an echo of sadness.

Kanade frowned. Just what . . .?

* * *

_A group of five plodded through the snow: three women and two men. Their clothing indicated that it was a time in the distant past, more than three hundred years ago. Four of them wore oriental clothing while the fifth wore a dark cloak over her gothic dress._

_Yin Di walked ahead in silence, when the second man created a snowball, grinned, and lobbed it at the twenty-seven year old man's head. Yin Di flinched and spun around, gripping the back of his head with one hand._

_The three women laughed softly._

"_What was that for, Hwayeom?" He demanded._

_Hwayeom chuckled. "You're so cold and gloomy, Yin Di. Lighten up!"_

"_Hwayeom, you shouldn't have hit him unsuspectingly," Ahel chided._

"_It was the only way to see some sort of reaction aside from that emotionless mask of his!" Hwayeom objected. "He still hasn't got over his fiancé's betrayal –"_

_Hwayeom was silenced as a snowball smacked him square in the face. Yin Di stood ahead in the distance, throwing up and catching another snowball in his pale hand with his other hand on his hip. He smirked._

"_Whoever said I was suffering from a broken heart? You'll pay for that, Hwayeom."_

"_Ho?" Hwayeom grinned evilly, scooping up more snow into his tanned skinned hands._

_A snowball fight commenced.  
_

* * *

Kanade blinked, looking about her. It seemed like she was not the only one who was confused with what she saw. Yet Saya and Haji did not seem too effected as they began to follow Yin Di again.

"What was that, Yin Di-san?" Hibiki asked, puzzled.

"A memory," he said quietly. "We used to traverse this place a lot. Our memories linger in the spaces where we have been."

"But how are we able to see snippets of them?" Victoria asked curiously.

"Because I am allowing it through subtle telepathy," he said. "If you came here alone then you would see and hear nothing."

"Aside from the quiet whispers that come through on the wind," Haji murmured.

Victoria looked thoughtful with that, and they hurried to keep up with Yin Di.

* * *

"_Quickly!" Niera hissed, sword in hand as they swept through the cloudless night over the snow. More figures dashed after her, leaving a blur behind them from their speed. Urgency and command was in her voice. _

_The air was filled with the intent to kill. Black shadows flitted past the trees. The occasional glimpse of the glowing red eyes of Chiropteran glinted through the darkness, accompanied by their animalistic snarls and gobbles._

"_Ianna's army is closing in on us," Hwayeom said breathlessly, glaive in hand. "We won't make it in time."_

* * *

Kanade glanced back up at Yin Di as the other memory passed through her mind. Karasu had fallen quiet as she began to realise that this was the beginning of the memories from a hundred years ago.

"What happened, to cause you to run?" Saya asked quietly.

Yin Di looked up at the grey sky and breathed deeply. "Ianna was determined for that night to be our final battle."

* * *

"_Ianna, the explosion of their base and our west and eastern flanks are forcing them north," Freya reported calmly._

"_Good. Tell our commanders to keep closing in further from the sides. Annabel will pursue them from behind, cutting off their escape. Order our northern units to start moving in," Ianna commanded. "Trap them in our circle."_

_Freya bowed. "Yes, Ianna." _

* * *

"She had created an army for a full-scale battle, designed so that most of us would die, including many from her own side," Yin Di continued as more memories began to cross their minds. "Even though we outnumbered her in terms of Queens and Chevaliers, she still commanded an army of thousands of Chiropteran. And she coordinated them terribly well. Hwayeom – who was our best in terms of military and tactics – could see it all coming but with such overwhelming numbers, not even he could get us out of the trap that Ianna had caught us in."

Kanade's expression fell and she looked down, feeling the despair in the air.

They walked on, watching the race from a hundred years ago as they too, followed that same path. Until in the end, that path led them out of the trees and into an open landscape that was a desert of pristine white.

Snow began to float down from the sky, muffling sound further and giving them a false sense of security.

* * *

_Niera, Ahel, and their Chevaliers stood in a ring, back to back, facing the thousands of Chiropteran that surrounded them. Their weapons were out, with faces set with determination. Ianna, Freya and Annabel morphed from the darkness in front of their front lines._

"_Do you not think it is about time for our fight to come to an end, Niera?" Ianna's voice drifted cleared through the air._

* * *

"Niera's fight?" Kanade asked, confused. "I thought this was a fight between Ahel and Ianna, over Joseph's loyalty."

Yin Di merely glanced back at her. His eyes, his expression, were completely unreadable. His grey eyes lingered on her, before he then turned to look ahead of him again.

Kanade blinked again. She could feel something rising in her heart; more confusion and . . . and growing wariness.

"Wait, Yin Di –!"

* * *

_Niera swiped her Emperor's sword to the side. The wind whispered around her, as if someone, a spirit, stood behind her._

"_Not yet," Niera said. "I will end this on my own terms, Ianna."_

_Everyone tensed._

"_You are not yet our Empress, Niera. Therefore I will be the one to end this." Ianna pointed her Viking sword at the group in the middle. There was a beat of deathly silence._

"_Attack."_

* * *

Kanade's reach for Yin Di was halted as she flinched. The battle commenced. Weapons clashed, guns fired, chains clinked, and the duoblade flew. Screams and roars tore the air; blood stained the perfect snow black.

Kanade's eyes widened in horror at the inhuman violence and death. Saya, Haji and Victoria gazed into the distance with calm sorrow – as if they had seen similar events in the past – as they watched the battle unfold. Hibiki, Kanade and Karasu stood where they were, stunned into silence as they too watched the most horrific battle that they would ever see.

"These are our memories," Yin Di whispered. "Watch . . . and learn."

* * *

The tons of rocks continued to slowly shift around the telekinetic bubble that Niera had created to protect her from the catastrophic weight that crushed down onto her. Rocks, mud, rubble, ice and bones rumbled away as she crawled her way back up to the surface.

Her physical body was barely recognisable, for it had become a mangled mess under the weight of the necropolis. Her wheezing breaths came in and out of her ruined lungs in rags. It was the only sound aside from the tumbling rocks around her.

She was a buried monster, rising from the earth she had been entombed in. Anger and desperation drove her onwards. Ianna's yellow eyes burned at the back of her skull.

A furious, animalistic snarl ripped through her maw.

Those eyes . . . she hated those eyes so much.

For five hundred years, she had been fighting to finally close those yellow eyes for eternity. But it was so difficult, so hard.

Niera was so tired.

"_Come with me, Niera," _Yin Di had once said to her. He had held his hand out to her, wearing an honest smile that melted her heart and brought tears to her eyes. _"If you are tired, then I will take up the reins in your place. If you lose your will and fall, then I will take your hand and pull you back to your feet. If you fall silent, then I will be your voice. I want to be more than just your Knight, Niera. But I cannot do that unless you tell me what is truly in your heart."_

Niera's crawl through the pitch black slowed further as she felt her will and strength begin to leave her. She could not sob, not when her jaw was as broken as the rest of her body.

_Yin Di . . . _her mind whispered. _You were always more than just my Knight. But even after all these centuries, I still have not told you everything._

Tears began to fall from her half-blinded eyes.

"_I will never let you harm Yin Di."_

Did she have the strength to keep her promise?

"_I told you, Niera – I will break you."_

An old memory that Niera had tried ever so hard to keep buried in the dark, rose from the depths once again.

Hongzhi lay dead at Ianna's feet. His blood dripped from the tip of his sword onto his cheeks, as if he was crying tears of blood. His eyes were half closed, gazing unseeingly with regret in Niera's direction.

Ianna used his own sword against him.

Niera's crawl came to a stop all together and she slumped down on the jagged rocks beneath her, feeling her bubble of telekinesis begin to deflate around her.

_How do you intend to break something that is already broken, Ianna? _Her mind whispered.

Her hand still reached to the surface above her in the last, desperate attempt to see the light once again. They were monsters of the dark, but despite that, Niera did not want to spend an eternity within the shadows that clung to her.

_I don't want to be buried in the dark. Please . . ._

How long had she been buried in the depths of the necropolis? She did not know, for there was no way for her to estimate the time that ticked past.

But it had felt so long. She was so tired.

"_Do not give up until you breathe your last. You taught me that, Niera. Therefore I will say those words directly back to you," _Yin Di's words from a long time ago said to her once again. It was odd for her to remember that – because she had long forgotten it.

Niera closed her eyes. _Indeed, I taught Yin Di that . . ._

She gripped what little will power was left within her spirit, clinging to Yin Di's voice, and reached once more.

The tips of her fingers broke through the surface, meeting the cool air of Omnigovi Province. Niera gasped slightly in mild shock.

Another hand gripped hers. It was neither solid nor like air, but a mixture of the two. It was ethereal.

The hand pulled her from the rubble and as she broke free, the relief of freedom swept through her battered body as she lay on the ground on her back.

A figure of softly glowing mist stood beside her.

_: Yin Di . . ._

The figure of mist gazed down on her in sorrow.

_: Yes, Niera._

Niera's eyes blurred as her conscious was finally slipping from her.

_: Do you remember your oath to me . . .?_

Yin Di's astral spirit did not change his posture. Only his expression fell, and his eyes became downcast and distant.

_: . . . Yes, Niera._


	17. Chapter 16

**9 pages  
**

**A/N: It's the usual, folks. I'm busy, hence why the late update. Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

Chapter Sixteen

Kylia stood on the edge of the skyscraper, gazing east, waiting for the sun to begin its ascent over the horizon from where the Land of the Rising Sun resided. It was impossible to see too far though in Bei Jing, not with all this smog. It had not been this bad a hundred years ago in the 1940s. But then again, many things changed quickly nowadays.

She, Ahel and Joseph arrived back in Bei Jing yesterday afternoon. It turned out that Yin Di and a couple of the Red Shield members had also just come back from Russia.

Kanade apologised to Ahel for being so nosy, Hibiki especially to Joseph as he was not too happy by having that part of their past spied upon by someone who did not belong to it. Ahel on the other hand appeared to be fine, resulting in a guilty sigh of relief from Kanade.

But . . . they did not know Ahel well enough to hear that her heart still wept behind her mask.

Kylia sighed. None of them would ever be able to get over Hwayeom's death.

"Why the sigh?"

Kylia glanced behind her. Victoria glided up to her with grace. Her ringlet hair blew gently in the breeze.

"You should be aware of that," she said softly. "You saw that part of the past."

Victoria stepped up onto the edge with Kylia, before sitting down and swinging her legs over the side. Below was a catastrophic drop that could make anyone's head swim with dizziness.

"Ah," Victoria breathed, gazing into the distance with a sad smile. "It seems that no matter which era we live in, the life of one with Chiropteran blood is only filled with bloodshed and tragedy. Happiness in brief."

The sky's muddy brown tinge of light and air pollution at night, began to lighten somewhat.

"Our lives begin with tragedy, and end with tragedy," Kylia murmured. A Chevalier's life never began under happy circumstances.

"What part of England are you from?" Victoria asked.

Kylia glanced at her, for it was not a question that she had been expecting. It was a question that never ceased to make Kylia flinch every time, for it was a reminder of something she could never forget.

"Kent," Kylia finally answered. "In a town along the River Medway."

She saw a faint smile on Victoria's lips. "The Garden of England," she whispered. "Truly worthy of its name."

Kylia mirrored that smile somewhat. Somehow, it felt nice to be speaking to a fellow English maiden who was also a Chevalier. It was like a quiet moment of reminiscence. "And yourself?"

Victoria craned her head back so her face faced the sky. "Surrey, along the River Thames."

Kylia snorted softly. "Impressive. It is a posh area."

Victoria grinned. "It is, definitely."

Kylia's expression fell again, thinking of her most recent memories of her home country. It was a long time ago.

"I wonder how much things have changed."

Victoria glanced at her. "That's right, you haven't been back in a hundred years."

Kylia shook her head. "Two hundred. I could not risk going back there after Freya began to take more interest in controlling it."

Victoria's posture changed in anger. "I despise her."

Kylia closed her eyes briefly. "As do I," she said quietly.

Her blue eyes opened once again and looked down on Victoria. The young Chevalier had turned her head north, so Kylia could not see her face, but she knew that those green eyes looked towards the west, towards England.

Kylia could sense loyalty within her – but it was not towards her Queen. It was towards her country. It made Kylia frown slightly.

"Your loyalty is admirable," Kylia murmured. "But Britain is not what it once was."

She sensed Victoria stiffen at the silent stab of words that hinted. A Chevalier's loyalty was only to one thing and one thing only. Victoria had that loyalty, but it was aimed in the wrong direction. Kylia refrained from asking Victoria why she was not loyal to her Queen. From what Kylia had seen of Hibiki, she was a kind and bubbly girl who valued her friends and family highly.

So why was Victoria's loyalty not to her? Not to the one who would have saved her life?

"You know nothing about me," Victoria growled. "You do not know of my past." She stood to leave.

"You are right," Kylia agreed. "I know nothing. But will you listen to a story?"

"About what?" Victoria asked flatly.

"About how I came to be a Chevalier, and why I am as loyal as I am to Ahel."

* * *

_Kylia glanced east, watching the sun struggle to rise over the blurred horizon. She kept her basket of grocery shopping close to her side, covered in a cloth to protect the contents. Though it probably would not have mattered much, for it was a poor pick from the market. Already the groceries were going old and beginning to rot._

_She cringed at the thought of another foul tasting meal for the day. But it was all she and her family could afford. Money was scarce, food was scarce . . . kindness was scarce._

_Tugging her shawl closer to her, she continued through the people of the town, feeling her booted feet squelch through mud, human waste and horse droppings. She was used to it, and to the smell too. But life was miserable for anyone who was not of the noble classes._

_Kylia weaved her way between the people that cared only for themselves, too ignorant to move out of the way themselves, no matter what class. It seemed to be the nature of most people. However, Kylia could not criticise for she was no better. It was not from her personality, definitely not, for she was a gentle soul. Her ignorance was born out of necessity, like everyone else. There was no time to care for someone else as they all had their issues of their own to deal with first._

_In Kylia's case, it was ensuring she was able to buy some food in the morning, no matter how little, to feed her family. Her father's health was not so brilliant, preventing him from working. Her mother struggled to earn what money she could from her job, and her little brother was too young for any such work. Kylia was charged with looking after all of them._

_It was difficult. Life in these times was brutal and hard._

_She glanced at the people around her. Many had wrapped or pressed cloths and scarves to their noses and mouths. Kylia was doing the same, and her eyes narrowed as she ground her teeth._

_Plague affected this town. The majority of it was in the poorer estates – near where Kylia and her family lived. _

_She shuddered in fear._

_Boils filled with black pus. Sickening, stinking, horrifying._

_She hurried home and entered her poor excuse for a house. But it was a home nonetheless where her parents and brother lived. Despite their situation of finance and constant struggling, it was a place of warmth and shared family love and care. These were the only people she cared about, and the only people who cared about her._

"_I'm back," she called softly._

_There was no reply. Instead, there was the sound of her parents' raised voices, tainted with fear. Kylia's chest tightened and immediately she set her basket on the wooden table, running around to the back of her tiny house._

_She flung open the door to her brother's room. Her parents were there and they jumped in fright upon her entry._

"_Kylia!" Their faces were pale, her mother was crying._

_Her brother lay on the bed. He was panting and sweating as if in fever, his face was white. All the moisture drained from Kylia's mouth as fear clutched her heart._

"_What's wrong with Ben?" She asked, hurrying to his side immediately and reaching out to place her hand on his forehead._

"_Don't touch him!" Her father boomed. It was not with anger, but with panic._

_Kylia's wide eyes flashed to him. "Why?! What's going on?"_

"_His . . . his armpit," her mother choked out._

_Kylia felt the blood drain from her face. Her attention snapped to her brother and – ignoring her parents – she grabbed Ben's arms and lifted them. Her breath caught in her throat._

_A black boil._

"_No," she whispered, feeling the tears sting her eyes like her mother. "This can't be happening."_

_Her family was all she had. They were her everything. Was the plague going to take her family too?!_

_She sat there, feeling the panic begin to rise and rise. If the authorities knew then they would lock them where they were to die like rats. There had to be a way of curing Ben. There had to be a way of not contracting the plague as well. If they were out of the town in cleaner air then it would be better! Surely!_

"_We have to get out of this town," Kylia said shakily. "We cannot stay here."_

"_But how? Where do we go?" Her mother sobbed hopelessly._

"_We'll go out tonight. Anywhere is better than here!" Kylia shivered with the terror of the plague, of death. She felt disgusted with herself. The boy lying in the bed before her was her beloved brother._

_And she was afraid of him._

"_But –"_

"Enough_!" Kylia's voice whipped out, silencing her panicking parents. Her personality darkened. "We leave tonight with Ben. Do not argue."_

_With that, her parents obeyed, falling behind their daughter's split personality. _

_That night, they snuck out of their house. Kylia carried Ben on her back, struggling to not shudder at the knowledge that the plague was in contact with her skin. Her mind did not want her to breathe in the infected air around her brother, yet her body demanded that she do so. She bit on her lower lip, blinking back the tears for her brother._

_They moved as quietly as they could in the night, trying to go by the quietest paths that would avoid the patrols around their poverty-stricken estate. Behind, Kylia could hear her mother's fearful breathing and her father's laboured panting. Doubt and pain flitted through Kylia's dreading soul. Was she too forceful? She knew her father would not get far! But she could not leave him behind, no matter how much her instinct told her to run as far away from them as possible. This was her family!_

_Ducking into an alley, Kylia's heart pounded further as they walked through the stink. They passed an opening, and a figure emerged from the darkness._

"_Oi, what are you doin' here?" The man's rough accent shattered the quiet. Kylia's eyes widened. He was drunk, for the alcohol on his breath permeated the air. She stepped back from him except he caught her arm and yanked her closer._

"_What have you got on your back?"_

"_Don't touch –!"_

_Too late. Ben's hood was thrown back and the drunkard stumbled away with a gasp and landed on the ground. "P-plague! That boy has the plague!"_

_Kylia's breath caught in her throat with alarm. Behind, she could hear her mother beginning to break down. She tried to step back further to escape when the drunkard grabbed her ankle._

"_Where do you think you're goin'?" He cried in both anger and terror. "You're gonna spread it! More people are gonna die!"_

"_Shut up!" Kylia hissed violently._

"_Somebody! They're tryin' to escape! The plague! They have the plague!"_

"_Let go of me!" Kylia shrieked, kicking his face. There was a crunch as she smashed his nose. He yelped in pain and the blood gushed into his raised hands. Kylia's mother cried, her eyes wide with terror and she gripped her husband as if he were a float in the water, dragging him down in her hysteria._

"_Be quiet, mother! We have to get out of here!" _

_Her mother wailed louder, her father began to shout. The sounds of running constables and whistles drummed in the air. Ben sobbed weakly._

_It was a disaster. They were not going to make it._

"_Hurry, this way!"_

_Kylia's teary eyes spun to meet that of a young woman a few years older than her. The woman's hair was long and black. Her green eyes almost glowed in the darkness. She waved to her frantically to hurry after her._

_With one hand, Kylia kept a hold of Ben on her back and with the other, she grabbed her mother's arm. Her father held the other._

"_Come on, mother! Get up!"_

_Her mother continued to howl and desperation screamed in Kylia's heart. The patrol men, including random other people, rounded the corners. Kylia looked behind her frantically, seeing strangers grab the green-eyed woman and pull her away._

_Tears slipped from Kylia's eyes as the authorities grabbed them. She screamed, kicked, slashed and wailed. The gentle soul that was Kylia was temporarily replaced by her split persona, that drew blood and shattered bones. But it was useless. In the end, she was beaten down and they dragged the four of them back to their house and locked them inside, where they would be confined to each other._

_It was a nightmare that slowly unfolded before Kylia's very eyes, who was helpless to prevent it. Her father started developing the boils, and then her brother died. Her mother caught the plague, and her father perished. Her mother followed soon after with a broken heart and plagued body._

_One by one, Kylia was forced to bury her family. So young, and already her family was dead, buried by her own hands._

_The days passed and she became silent, broken – a shell._

_There was a thump and she glanced down. Ben's toy had fallen to the floor from her hands. Since when had she been holding it? When was the last time she ate or changed her clothes? When was the last time she was aware of her surroundings._

_She was not sure, nor did she care anymore, because what she cared for was also gone._

_Kylia bent down to pick up the toy when a violent tide of nausea struck her. She wretched where she was, feeling her abdomen contract viciously to expel whatever was in her stomach. Nothing came out, aside from mucous and saliva. That sickened her further and she gagged, but nothing came from it._

_Exhausted, she shuffled to a chair and slumped down in it, shivering with cold. The air was hot with the summer, but for Kylia, she was cold. She had become increasingly skinny and she knew she was ill._

_She sighed, which sounded more like a dying wheeze and brushed one hand weakly over her body. From beneath the filthy rags that she wore, she could feel the lumps of the boils that covered her skin, could feel how they squelched beneath her bony fingers._

_Kylia's expression fell and she leant her head back, closing her eyes in hopelessness. _

_She was dying._

_More days passed, until Kylia could not tell whether she was conscious or not. Everything was empty and quiet. Her soul was a dying flame, her memories were silent whispers of times that had gone._

How pathetic . . . _her mind whispered. _Barely eighteen and I die without achieving anything . . .

_Her heart felt heavy. For so long she had carried the weight of her fear for death. Now, the stress of it was so constant that she no longer cared about it. She was tired, so tired and fed up, so sick and cold._

_She wanted it to end._

_The dark silence continued and she swayed in the darkness. It made her feel even more nauseous. Why was she swaying? It made her feel sick._

"_. . . think . . . should . . . this . . .?"_

" _. . . dead enough . . . throw her . . . the pit . . ."_

What . . .? _She thought tiredly. There were hands holding her arms. Her neck ached from hanging her head, and her feet dragged through the mud behind her._

_It took her a long time before she realised that she had been taken from her house and was being dragged away – away to one of the pits, the pits where they threw the victims of the plague in. Dim, horrifying memories floated through her mind from the darkness of her soul._

_Rotting flesh, flies, maggots, the stench of decaying meat, dried skin – _

No . . .!_ She did not want to be thrown in with them. She was dying, yes, but she was not dead yet._

_There was a jolt._

"_What now?" _

"_Her foot is snagged on a root."_

"_Well do something about it then!"_

"_Just pull her. It don't matter if her foot breaks. She'll be dead by the end of the day anyway."_

_Despite how numb her body was, Kylia felt the sharp pain of her ankle dislocating roughly. They continued to drag her to her grave._

_Death. Even though it now held her hand and slowly guided her towards it, she tried to pull back from its cold embrace._

_She wondered briefly what would have happened if they had never lived in this town. What would have happened if they managed to flee that night? Would things have turned out better? Would her family still be alive?_

_Faint anger, followed by shame, stirred in her heart. Even though she loved her mother so much, she could not help but blame her for turning hysterical that night. If her mother had stayed calm then they probably would have gotten away with that other woman, the woman with green eyes._

_Sorrowful calm washed over Kylia, smothering all of her other emotions as the memory of those green eyes slowed her dying heart further. That woman . . . was the first one outside of her family to show concern and care for her._

_The hands that held her tightened their grip as they threw her. Then those hands fell away as she fell, before she landed on her back. Even with such narrowed senses, Kylia could smell the decay, hear the flies, and feel the bodies that protruded into her back. But she had no strength to move, no strength to rise from the pit that was her grave, filled with death._

_However, her eyes opened a crack. It was all she could manage. The light was dim with the light of afternoon, straining through a low curtain of cloud and mist._

_She resurrected the memory of those green eyes, seeing the woman before her. It was almost as if the woman was actually there, for the woman wore an expression that Kylia did not conjure from her imagination; one of concern and sorrow. She held her hand over Kylia's face. A red liquid dripped from her fingers, dropping onto Kylia's purple and cold lips. The red drops were warm, chasing away the chill of death._

_Peaceful regret sighed through her._

I wish I could have seen her . . . the woman who showed me concern . . . one . . . last . . . time . . .

* * *

Kylia went on to talk of how her friendship with Ahel developed, of her loyalty to the woman who showed her kindness and concern and saved her from a sickening fate. It made her smile faintly that Victoria stayed to listen in calm quietness. There was kindness in Victoria's gaze most of the time when Kylia had seen her, and with a cheeriness which she used to mock or challenge Karasu Chi.

But there was also a coldness, a distance.

There was more to Victoria than what met the eye.

Victoria turned her head slightly, listening. The morning sun reflected in her golden ringlets. Kylia did not turn and continued to gaze ahead of her, leaving her legs to dangle over the edge with her hands in her lap.

Someone came out onto the roof with them.

"Ah! There you are, Victoria! I have been looking all over for you!" Hibiki's high and childish voice pushed the solemn atmosphere away almost instantly with her bubbliness.

Victoria smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "What for?"

"I'm bored. Let's go shopping this morning!"

Victoria stood up with a sigh. "Sorry, but I'm not interested today. You will be better off going with Kanade and Karasu."

"Oh, okay!" Hibiki said cheerily as Victoria walked past her. "Tell me when you want to go!"

The door closed behind the Chevalier, leaving Hibiki behind with that still, bright smile. Kylia continued to gaze out across the skyscrapers.

"I wonder how many people notice the hurt she causes you." Kylia murmured.

"W-what? Hurt? I'm not hurt. See? I'm happy, happy, happy!"

Kylia turned her head to look at the young Queen. Hibiki grinned back, shoulders high. Kylia continued to stare . . . and Hibiki's shoulders sank as her grin faded to a smile, and then to nothing.

Her mask fell away, like ash blown in the wind.

"I wonder where I went wrong," she whispered.

Kylia patted the ledge beside her. Ahel liked Kylia for a reason, for the Chevalier listened, and understood. Some people were listeners, others were talkers. Kylia was one of the former.

Hibiki sat beside her, bringing a knee up to her chest and resting her chin upon it. "You must think me a failure as a Chiropteran Queen. I have just one Chevalier and I don't even her friendship, let alone her loyalty," she said miserably.

Kylia's expression fell in sympathy.

"I don't understand what happened. I care about her so much, I value her so highly, as equally as I value Kanade, and yet, I get nothing in return," Hibiki said, her voice thick as her eyes glistened with the moisture of betrayal. "You have experience and wisdom, Kylia-san. Can you see what I am doing wrong?"

Kylia shook her head. "You are doing nothing wrong, Hibiki." She smiled at her gently. "Be patient. Victoria will come to realise it before the end."

* * *

Niera's throat was dry and parched with thirst. With her body so damaged, she needed blood to regenerate. She needed Yin Di's blood.

_Blood . . . I need it . . . Where's Yin Di's blood . . .?_

She brought her hands up to her burning throat. She was so thirsty. Where was Yin Di?

_In Bei Jing . . ._ her mind whispered. Hundreds of miles from her. What she saw of him before she fell unconscious was his astral projection. He was not really here.

A pang struck her heart. She wanted to scream.

Slowly, she continued to rise from her unconscious stupor, feeling her logical self war with her animalistic self. She had to control herself, control her inhuman and horrendous thirst for blood.

Because of her inner battle, she only just began to notice something else – a pulse. It was not hers.

That pulse beat steadily, thumping in chorus with the strong heart that created it, pumping blood around a living body, a human body. Niera inhaled through her nose, and the incredible, deliciously sweet fragrance of this human's blood exploded against her senses with a force that she had never experienced. It was unlike anything she had ever smelt, never before feeling the desire for this blood to such an extent.

Yin Di's was the only blood she ever craved with such a longing, but this one exceeded even that. It smelt familiar, resurrecting ancient feelings and confusions that were once buried, but Niera could not quite remember where from.

Her eyes opened slightly. Someone stood over her, a black shadow. His neck was bare and from beneath the skin, Niera's Chiropteran eyes traced the glowing web of blood vessels that branched from the carotid artery.

_I must . . . have it . . .!_

Instinct took control. She bolted up in a flash and tackled the man to the ground. Her fangs bared and sank deeply into his neck, piercing his blood vessels and his blood filled her mouth. The intensity of what she felt was overwhelming as the taste of his blood caressed her tongue and soothed her throat. Her desire for more soared and she sucked his blood as if to kill him.

She did not care. Her thirst drove her to extremes. She would drink and drink and drink until this man had been sucked dry! It was as if she had been parched of this man's blood for _centuries_.

As his blood began to satisfy her raging thirst, it was only then when she began to notice that he did not struggle from the very beginning. The smells were wrong as well. This was a smell that died over five hundred years ago.

Her victim had not gone limp under her attack. In fact, his body remained strong beneath her. One hand was at her waist, while his other stroked her hair. He stroked her hair like this a long time ago, whenever she cried or had a nightmare.

"You have buried this thirst for five centuries, Ni Er," he said softly. "You were never aware of it."

Niera's eyes widened. That voice, this touch, this scent.

She moved back abruptly with a gasp. Her eyes – losing their glow – were fixated on the man before her who sat back up. He placed a hand against his neck.

He was a handsome man in his early thirties, dressed in simple Imperial robes. He was tall and lean, with long black hair that rippled down his back and over one shoulder. His face had not changed from her memories.

"Hong Zhi," she croaked, staring at him in disbelief. "How? How is this possible?"

The Emperor was there, right in front of her, in the flesh. The warmth from his body radiated in the air; his voice was as clear as crystal; her thirst was sated by his blood, by a man who was long dead and buried. But all of her senses were telling her that he was alive. His blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Around her was a room in the palace that she often spent time in with Hong Zhi. Cushioned seats were arranged around a low mahogany table; the wood was beautifully polished. Wind chimes chimed in the breeze that drifted in from the open screens and doors to the pavilion outside. Incense burned.

"This is a dream." Her voice shook.

Hong Zhi's expression saddened. "Indeed, this is just a vision. The dead cannot be brought back to life. Such a feat does not exist, not even in your realm, Ni Er."

Niera continued to gaze at him. _Ni Er . . . It has been so long since I was last called that . . ._

Tentatively, she reached towards him, afraid that he may suddenly disappear. He did not move, and let her fingers brush his smooth cheek. So many feelings erupted in her heart, some certain, some confused.

"A vision," she repeated quietly. "And yet, I can touch you."

He pressed her hand with his against his cheek.

"You are a solid being. You are alive," she whispered. "How?" She traced her other hand down to his neck where her puncture wounds remained. "Your blood was real. My thirst . . . is gone."

He took her hands, forcing her to lean back. "I am alive, always have been." He stood up, letting go of her hands and he moved towards the pavilion. "My physical body died that day."

Niera flinched at the memory.

"But my spirit lives on within my sword." He glanced back at her. "Your sword."

He held Niera's gaze, until she looked down at her empty hands. Not once had she parted with her sword, aside from the times she fell into slumber and let Yin Di look after it in her absence. Her attachment to the sword never declined though. She was always drawn to it, always feeling calm when her hand traced the sword with her touch. It was the last memento of him. It felt like he was by her side.

She stood and followed him onto the pavilion. A pond lay below. Its crystal waters shattered the warm sunlight against it surface. Lilies bloomed between lily pads. Insects flew from one flower to the next, and carp swam lazily beneath the surface.

"None of this has changed," she breathed, before she then looked up at him. "You haven't changed."

"But you have," he murmured. He glanced at her and then smiled. "You have grown into a beautiful young woman, Ni Er. You have caught up with me."

She smiled back weakly. "You are frozen at thirty-four. I am frozen at twenty. There is still an age gap."

Yet having said that, Niera realised that age gaps at these ages never mattered so. In the end, they were both adults, both man and woman, both young. Her heart felt strange.

He chuckled. "I guess." Hong Zhi's smile then faded.

Despite how happy Niera felt to see him again, her sorrow would not fade. It only grew. She had never moved on from his death.

_Hong Zhi,_ she thought silently. _He meant everything to me in the beginning._

"Stop this, Ni Er," he said. "You were never meant to walk along this lonely path."

Niera gazed down into the pond, watching their reflections. It had been too long since she had last seen them stand together.

"You were never meant to die, Hong Zhi," she said quietly, her voice broke and she looked back up at him. "You should know how much I wept for you. You put me on this path. If you were not so kind, so gentle and caring, then things would be different."

He turned his dark eyes to the sky. "If . . ." he muttered. "There are many 'ifs'." The wind rustled his hair. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I became your Chevalier back then."

Something jolted through her heart. She had never considered that.

"Would things have been different?" He went on softly. "Would you have met Yin Di? Would our relationship be different? Would I have sworn to you my allegiance, or defied you and remained loyal to my wife?" He glanced at her and Niera's heart pounded. "What if Ianna never attacked? You would have become my successor, the next Empress of China." He sighed softly. "What if we had never met?"

Pain stabbed her chest with guilt. The tears slipped from her eyes in silence. Hong Zhi would still be alive if they had never met.

His death was her fault. She had always known that.

"My death was not your fault," he said, seemingly reading her thoughts. It did not surprise her. His spirit was her sword. And even when he was alive physically, he had been able to predict with frightening accuracy what her thoughts were.

Indeed, he would have been perfect as her Chevalier. An eternity travelling together.

Hong Zhi wrapped his arms about her in his embrace. Everything would have been so different. She would not be so plagued by hate and despair, because the source of all that would still be by her side.

However, if that never happened, then she would never have met Yin Di. A life without Yin Di –

Pain split her heart. _Yin Di._

The edges of the surroundings began to grey as colour was drawn from them and began to blur. It began to flake away as the vision started to disintegrate.

Niera hugged her Emperor, squeezing her eyes shut in grief. "Don't leave," she sobbed.

"I never will, even if it pains me to stay by your side." The tips of his robes and hair began to mist away. Sounds began to blur. Touch became numb. "Please let go of the past, Ni Er." The vision turned to swishing mist and he faded from her once again.

" . . . Please do not force me to kill you . . ." His final whisper echoed in her heart.

* * *

Niera sat up on the hard ground above the necropolis. Mist swayed around her, touching her moist cheeks. She sat in silence, alone.

It was a vision. However, the vision did not lie. Her body was healed, save for her destroyed clothes. She brought her fingers to her lips, still tasting Hong Zhi's blood on her tongue. How had such a thing happened?

She knew not. But what she felt in her heart and soul was as strong as ever.

Once again, she was alone. The vision was too brief, resurrecting too many old feelings and memories that brought joy, followed by crushing devastation. She wanted that vision to last forever. But dreams were forever just dreams.

Hong Zhi lived on for her sake, very much like a Chevalier, doing her bidding, even if he did not want to. The pain in his voice sighed through her body.

But she would not stop. She would not stop until it was over.

Niera looked to her side. Her sword lay close by to her. It was once his sword, and now it was hers. It had killed him, and would kill many more yet. It was all that was left of him.

It was Hong Zhi.

She reached and picked the sword up, feeling his spirit stir within.

"Forgive me. I cannot let go of the past, Hong Zhi," Niera said softly, standing up. "Not until the very end."


End file.
